Anna Anderson and Elsa Snow: A Love Story
by whackabee1
Summary: Modern A/U Elsanna. Rated M: There will be smut. And language. Elsa and Anna are not sisters, but it is VERY much Elsanna. Plain premise: Anna's new at Elsa's school. Let's watch to see how they blossom and become friends. How their relationship develops, and how far? POV will bounce around through pretty much every character in the fic.
1. Chapter 1

Elsa sighed despondent, sitting alone in the cold, somber room. The sun was just peeking out over the treeline beyond her window, gleaming light into her world in stark contrast to the drab darkness that crawled like a spider within her stomach.

"Being a bit dramatic, huh?"

"Mom!" Elsa snapped her journal shut with a thud, face flushing.

The woman just giggled at her daughter. "I'm sorry, Elsa dear, it's just so nice to know what goes on in that head of yours." Elsa curled her private notebook to her chest, cheeks burning. "And you know, the living room isn't the most private place to write."

The girl huffed and looked back out the window. Birds chirped in the summer dawn, trees a lively rich green, sky painted a soft pink and clear of clouds. _Okay, so maybe I was being a_ little _dramatic._

 _Maybe._

First days of school had never been Elsa's strong suit. Or second days of school. Or any days of school. Or having friends.

Suffice to say, Elsa was not particularly fond of school; the people there, at least. Her and studying got along just fine. Math? That made sense. History? She could memorize that. Literature? Reading was actually _fun._ Gym? Okay, no, she didn't like that one. It usually ended in her being the only person on one dodgeball team, and she couldn't aim for her life- or dodge. Maybe if she was more nimble, like a cat-

"Ready to go, kiddo?" Her father's voice refocused Elsa when he apparated into the room.

 _No._ "Yes, dad. But, 'kiddo?'" She stood, deliberately placing her book bag over her shoulders.

"You'll always be my little girl," he grinned.

Elsa smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Have a good first day, sweetheart." Her mom gave her a tight hug, which the girl returned happily. A somewhat ungodly sounding half meow, half purr broke them apart. Elsa reached out just in time to catch the portly cat as it jumped up to her. He was a long-hair cat, almost three years old, with thick whiskers, snow-white fur, the most adorable little orange nose Elsa had ever seen, and a very pronounced, frilly, smiley mouth.

Elsa cooed and pet him in her arms, planting a kiss on his forehead, right between his rather fluffy ears. He didn't mind. He _loved_ the attention, he was a big ham. "So when's our dodgeball lesson?" He just meowed and continued purring like a motorboat. "Wish me luck, Olaf," she said, more seriously than before.

And before she knew it, she was there. Her hand clutched the handle inside of the car door. The hum of the idling car and soft melody of the peaceful piano music she'd tuned the radio to challenged the rapid heartbeat she felt in her neck. Her knuckles were white.

Right now, she was in a safe place. She was comfortable here. But once she opened that door, she'd have to say goodbye to her comfort zone for the day. She'd have to brave the outside world, endure certain humiliation. She'd have to… go to school. "I- dad, I'm not ready, I'm scared." she choked out.

He pursed his lips, brown eyes focusing with concern. He took her free hand into both of his and made direct eye contact with his daughter.

Elsa looked at him, face pleading not to go, rich blue eyes glistening. He hated to see her so scared, he wished he could just take that fear from her and shoulder the burden for her, take it and make it his own, just so she'd be free. What must it be like for her, to be so frightened of people?

"Be strong, Elsa," he said with confidence, giving her hands a quick squeeze. "You'll be fine."

She gulped. Steeling herself, the trepid girl pushed open the car door. "I'll pick you up after school."

Elsa nodded once again, stiffly. She clutched her journal to her chest like a lifeline. She could feel her arms trembling and her palms becoming clammy. The school entrance stood balefully over her, aggressing her thundering heart. A constant stream of chatter from other students siphoning into the building rang in her ears. She wished she could do that; be social, normal. Rigid as an old-timey zombie, she marched. _Maybe, this year will be different. Maybe, since I'm a senior everyone will leave me alone._

"Oh, look, the Ice Queen is back!" Elsa knew that sarcastic sneer. She didn't even look up.

"Tsk, tsk, Snowgirl. A senior and still being driven by daddy, like a wittle girl." Ariel chimed in with Eric, too. "Such a _special_ wittle snowflake."

Elsa clamped her eyes shut, shrinking into her large, light blue sweatshirt. She'd gotten it almost four years ago now, the first winter of her freshman year at high school. It had a big, white, stylized graphic of a snowflake on the chest. Elsa loved snow. She almost scoffed at herself. _Elsa Snow loves snow. Go figure._

Sure, right now it was a little hot out to be wearing a sweatshirt, but the discomfort was well worth having something to hide in.

She started walking again, hugging herself tightly around her precious booklet of thoughts, and eyes dragging along the floor with her pride. It appeared as though this year would be a repeat of, well, every other year.

"Aw, come on," Eric's annoying voice again, "still giving us the _cold_ shoulder?"

"Hey, hey now guys, relax. It's not her fault she's too autistic to talk anyone but her pervy parents."

The verbal assault continued, but at least this time there was no physical attack. That had really only happened once, but… well, it left a reminder on Elsa in more than one way. She subconsciously traced her ribs. _That_ had been freshmen year. _That_ had been when she first started wearing this ridiculous hoodie everywhere. As if it'd save her, like the kicks and punches were bullets and her coat was kevlar. At least Ursula had been expelled for that. What kind of name is Ursula, anyway?

Elsa's eyes began to brine as she recalled the day. She'd been taken to the nurse's office, but by who she did not know. She did remember a head of well-kept brown hair, but the recollection was fuzzy and she couldn't put a face to the it. She couldn't even remember what hairdo it was. The memory was just… brown.

One time. In nearly three years there, she'd been shown kindness one singular, solitary, lonely time.

 _Why?_ Elsa demanded internally as she slammed herself into her seat at homeroom. _Why do they hate me? What did I ever do to them?_ Nothing. Nothing at all. She just wasn't social enough for them- wasn't social enough for _anyone_ \- so she was a soft target. There was a lump in Elsa's throat. She looked around the room. Everyone was chatting with their neighbor, or sitting on another's desk to talk until the bell signalled the start of class.

Elsa wanted that.

Instead she got- well she got what she got.

She slouched in her seat and pulled out her journal.

" _Loneliness is a horrible thing_ ," she wrote. " _It sits inside you- latches onto you like a parasite and won't let go. The worst part about this parasitic malady that so cruelly seems to plague only me? I can't remove it myself. It's the nature of the disease. I need a doctor- a loneliness doctor- to come-"_

"Okay class, let's begin," Duke Wessel interrupted from thirty feet away. Her business and finance teacher stood just over five feet tall, and at first glance appeared thin and frail. He was; however, a spritely old man, with the thickest glasses that Elsa had ever seen. Adorned also with a hilariously oversized nose and mustache to match it. His hair was obviously fake, and sometimes even bounced off of his head if he spoke too animatedly. He practically danced around the front of the class as he introduced himself.

He began roll call and the platinum blonde's heart clenched in her chest. Breathing was so hard, why was breathing so hard? At least, given her last name, she was close to the last person called, so she had time to prepare. She still found; however, that upon trying to simply speak up and say "present," her voice failed her.

The weighty stares of countless eyes all attacked her at once. The room began spinning around her.

Megara whispered something to her neighbor, and even though her voice was too low to understand, the tone was judgemental. Elsa had a good idea who she was talking about. _What kind of pathetic person can't even answer roll call?_ She felt like sinking into the chair, or into the floor, or just vanishing. That way, no one could stare at her. Or judge her. Or hate her.

Wessel's enormously intense eyebrows didn't help, either.

She needed the attention gone. Away, anywhere else.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry I'm late- I'm sorry-" a thud startled the whole room as a girl came crashing through the door.

She was…

 _Gorgeous._ Elsa stared wide-eyed, as if the bigger they were, the more of the sight she'd be able to drink in. Silken auburn locks of illustrious hair braided into two perfectly imperfect braids. Bright, teal eyes sparkled jubilantly under the normally drab florescent lights of the school. Somehow, the flat luminescence came to life dazzlingly as it reflected off her eyes, hair, and puffy, cutesy and preciously _freckled_ cheeks. And…

Oh God.

Her _nose._ A cute, adorable, ambrosial, cherubic, little button nose. Did Elsa mention that it was cute? Probably not, she couldn't remember. Point is, it was perfect on the new girl's stunning face- which had a horrified expression on it, mouth agape.

Elsa couldn't help the small smile that crossed her own lips. One of those strawberry blonde braids- the right one (which had a curiously pretty streak of blonde running lengthwise down it)- rested on front of her shoulder. Which was also freckled.

The other pigtail hung behind her left. Her tank top was bright green, such that it could probably be its very own neon sign. Combined with form-fitting jean shorts, the outfit flaunted just how splendidly curvey her hips were, antithetical to her thin waist and petite chest.

Elsa may or may not have been drooling.

She'd never seen this girl before, but she certainly wanted to see _more_ of her.

 _Pervert._

Good thing they were in the same homeroom, right?

 _Pervert! As if she'd ever talk to someone as socially inept as you, anyway._

 _But I can still look, right?_

 _Christ you absolute, leering perve!_

"And you are…?" Duke questioned dubiously, pointing his nose at New Hottie like a finger.

"Umm, Anna," she said- well, no, questioned- taking a cautious step back. "I'm in this class, right?" _Anna._ Elsa made a mental note.

"Hmm," the teacher drawled, dragging his eyebrows down the student list. "Nope!" He proudly proclaimed.

 _Anna_ looked taken aback, eyes widening and cheeks bright pink. "Oh, um, eh-heh," her chuckle was forced and airy as she retreated. Elsa found herself more disappointed than was reasonable. "Well, I've gotta, I'm just gonna- oof-" she'd backed into the door frame. _Clumsy. Cute._ "-I've gotta go, uhh, find my… eheh- bye!" And she was gone.

Door shut behind her, Anna slammed her back against the cold cinder wall and took a breath. _Good start. New school, new class,_ wrong _class. Really, truly efficiently making a proper first impression here, huh?_ She couldn't help but laugh at herself. "Well, at least they know I'm being myself," she shrugged. Grabbing the shoulder of her very light backpack- no she totally hadn't forgotten all of her books at home- she pulled out her map again. A giant, clearly marked yellow line snaked through the hallways, pointing to several rooms. "Mayybe I should've written down which room to go in first," she mused.

Off she went to try again.

"Christopher-"

"-it's Kristoff-"

"-Would you be so kind as to guide our new friend, Ms. Anna, to her classes for the remainder of the day? So she can get properly oriented to the school?" _Wow,_ that was a polite way of calling her stupid.

"But then _I'll_ be late for all _my_ classes," the blonde boy stated, pointing his thumb at his own chest. His own muscular chest. He was built like a mountain. A sexy, blonde, muscular, sculpted mountain. If Anna squeezed his biceps, what kind of rock would they feel like? She wondered. _Probably marble. So smooth, so dazzling._ Her leg was bouncing. Why was it bouncing? Stop bouncing.

"I'll write you a note, you needn't worry about that."

Christopher crossed his marble arms and raised an eyebrow incredulously. "For every class?"

"Yes."

"Yes!" Anna cheered before realizing. She cleared her throat and slumped a little "I mean, uh, yeah, okay." It was hot in that room, wasn't it? Yeah, that was it. The air conditioning just wasn't on.

This only earned a glance from the brown-eyed mountain. Amber eyes. Strong eyes. "Fine," he shrugged, "but only if Sven can come."

"So, what brings you to Arendelle?"

Christo-fine, Anna, and a rather large, also exorbitantly built looking guy walked abreast down the not-so-clean looking off-white hall. The buzzing chatter of students betwixt classes wasn't forceful enough to cloud their conversation. Who Anna assumed to be Sven (though he hadn't given verbal confirmation as to whether he actually _was_ Sven) had dark brown hair, shorter than his blonde buddy's, but still shaggy.

"Oh, you know, work. Not my- I don't work, not my work. My uncle's company work. His work-company moved. Not- not that I'm lazy, I just- I would get a job, but I- well, I haven't been here long." _Okay, stop vomiting, no one wants to see you blow verbal chunks. He probably already thinks you're some sort of alien._ "That's ah- that's all, nothing exciting. Work. Just, work. Eheh." She awkwardly tucked some hair that probably wasn't out of place back behind her right ear.

Sven wore what was proving more and more to be a perennial, dopey smile upon his sorta droopy looking face. He had a sorta big nose. But that wasn't important. Probably. _Can he smell stuff better than me? Can he smell me?_ Sven was listening to every detail of the girl's minced words, but he was commenting exactly zilch.

"You live with your uncle?"

"Yeah, um," Anna turned her gaze, focusing away from the conversation while subconsciously nibbling on her bottom lip. "It's a long story."

The marble dude got the hint. _Why's dumb blonde even a stereotype in the first place?_ "Yeah, Arendelle's been a growing market for those giant glass eye sores they call office buildings for the past few years."

"What're you, some kind of tree hugger?" Anna joked.

"I do like my time in the woods, I'll have you know." He crossed his arms, chin elevated by pride.

"Tree huggerrr!" It sorta turned into a growel, the rolling R's. Very un-ladylike. Very unattractive. _Nice one._

"Tree hater," he countered flatly, raising a challenging eyebrow.

"I do not!" _Okay, punctuating myself with a stomp was a little much._ The girl didn't spend every waking hour of her life in the woods or feel some sort of magical kinship with strange animals, but she didn't hate nature. In fact, she quite loved reading under a tree, or running around a park. And zoos! She was… was totally _not_ a hypocrite for teasing Chris for liking the woods. "I'll have _you_ know I think trees are fantastic things." She crossed her arms, like him, oozing mach pretension.

Sven elbowed his friend, eliciting a sickeningly satisfying thud.

Christopher smirked. "He called you a tree hugger."

Stunned, Anna let her mouth hang ajar while her eyes bounced between the two. _What? Just happened?_ Eventually, giggles bubbled up like foam and frothed from her mouth. "At least I'm not an alien!"

To his immense credit, the blonde boy furrowed his brows, but let the last comment slide with a well-natured roll of his eyes.

* * *

Anna felt light after her first day. Like her entire body had been filled up with helium, letting her float graciously along the seared black pavement of the parking lot. Except her voice. That felt normal. Her muscles felt no jolt, and there was hardly a clack as she skipped merrily along to her car, humming brightly to herself in one major scale or another. She wasn't really listening- or paying any attention for that matter- to the universe around her. Could a first day of school get any better? Aside from all the embarrassing parts, of course.

Unbeknownst to the cheerful strawberry blonde, Elsa was hustling to her father's car after a much, much less amiable first encounter with senior year. She skitted away, tail between her legs, and in contrast to the featheriness of Anna's step and mind, felt the pound of every rushed and careless step against her crying joints. Like her backpack was full of rocks, she was tired. Exhausted. People were exhausting. Being singled out was exhausted. Trying to ignore the world was exhausting. Being _Elsa_ was exhausting; and for that reason, she too paid no mind to the goings on surrounding her.

Anna hit a high note in her hum, the near pitch-perfect buzz in the back of her mouth spurring her feet into a trot-like jog. She-

"Oof!" Out of the blue, by devices entirely irrelevant to her destitute attention, she was slammed sideways, crashing unceremoniously to the pavement below. Directly on her rump. _Ow!_ A dull ache was already echoing around her glutes and lumbar. "Hey!"

"I'm so sorry- I- are you hurt?"

 _You've got to be kidding me._ Anna blinked. Just once. She pinched herself. _Ow!_ Then her face wouldn't move. Her backpack slid off her shoulder, taking place next to her on the ground. Was everyone at this school required to be a model? Was there some rule she was unaware of, that each and every person here had to be gleamingly beautiful?

There had to be. Yup. She's not in school. She's in _modeling_ school apparently. As evidenced by the absolutely blazing auburn head of hair in front of her: a dashing hairdo in the heavy sunlight. Stunningly chiseled cheekbones, and eyes that were the color of _dreamy. It_ can _get better!_

"Heyy," she purred, sitting up just a smidgen. "Uhh ye- no no, I'm oh- I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" He advanced, leaning over to offer her a hand up, his abashed face studying her person, checking for injuries. Or just… checking, Anna hoped. _Ooh, a gentleman._

"Yeah, I- I just wasn't looking where I was going, but I'm great, actually."

"Oh, thank goodness." His voice was low and calm. And he grinned at her in an _omigod_ kinda way and summer was hot enough why did he have to make it hotter?

Anna slowly took his hand and they shared an entirely too long, histrionic gaze into each other's " _dreamy"_ eyes. The girl, once again, found herself omitting the entire outside world from her little bubble of dazed daydreaming.

"Oh, I'm Hans, it's nice to meet you…"

"Anna!" She said entirely too earnestly-

-And she tripped again, falling back and yanking him on top of her in the process. "Agh!"

He was close to her. So very close. Like, touching her close. All over her body. She flushed, sure she looked more similar to a lobster in boiling water than a person laying on a _roadway._

"Um…"

"Eheh, hi, um, again." She made an attempt at slithering out of under him at the same time he tried to help her back up.

Needless to say, they fell. _Again._

Once more, her chest was pushed to his and his absolutely immaculate face was so near hers that she couldn't even see all of it.

"Oh, boy-"

"This is awkward-" Anna made short work of weaseling her way out of under him this time, ending up right where she fell in the first place. On her now sore backside. "-Not you're awkward, but just 'cause we're- I'm awkward. You're gorgeous." She went stiff. "Wait what?"

Model #2 pulled her to her feet. "I'd like to formally apologize for hitting the newest addition to Arendelle with my car, and for every moment afterwards."

"No! No no, it's fine. I'm not- I'm not the new girl- I don't want to be at least- it's just- I want to be just... me."

"Just you?"

"Hmm," Anna sighed, blushing and once again getting lost in the endless landscape that was Hans' cedar eyes. They simmered with the burning fire of the sun's reflection, an endless pit with the flames of attraction enkindled in the backdrop, obscured by the clouding lack of true personal connection.

 _That can be changed._

It was only when a car stuck behind them and their staring contest honked for passage that Anna realized just how long she'd been unabashedly staring and dazedly smiling. Directly at Hans.

"Oh, I better go, I gotta go- oof!" she bumped into his mustang amid her withdrawal- _wait what? His_ mustang _!?_ Anna considered it somewhat unfair for someone to be so perfect. What a jerk. A wonderful, awesome, beautiful jerk. She wanted to _jerk_ him forwards and- _Ohhkay that's enough of that!_ "-I better go." She swiveled to dash to her own car, sparing one last glance and a teeny tiny little wave. For good measure. Yeah, good measure. That's why. _Not because I'm an awkward alien and he's a gorgeous model._ "Uhm, bye!"

Hans smiled endearingly at the girl's unpolished, unrefined, and gawky exit and waved back, twiddling his fingers.

Elsa was finally home. At long last, back in the clutches of safety, where she could just be herself. She exhaled deeply, feeling her entire body relax and droop under gravity as she expended, the cold of the bench beneath her pressing freshly back at her. There was an arid silence that hung in that room. A beautiful, large, circular alcove in the house, with a ceiling about twenty feet high. Subdued glass let a constant glow of natural light illuminate the area, making each feature in the room appear more sensitive to sight, touch, and sound.

Especially sound. The acoustics were impeccable, the reverberant echo expertly tuned to embellish auditory stimuli. Even Olaf, who perched lazily a couple inches from his owner, seemed to understand the importance of stillness in that room. He neither bathed nor meowed, purred nor yawned. He was just still, with the atmosphere in company with Elsa.

Placidly, she stretched her dexterous fingers, finding cool ivory keys beneath her touch, and began her gentle flourishes along the grand piano.

* * *

 _A/N: Soooo enter the cast of Frozen, to summarize? How exciting and expository of a first chapter! I have a feeling we'll be in for a long one, let's see where this takes us!_

 _Thank you for reading :) Reviews are much appreciated!_


	2. Elsa's Language

_A/N: Before we begin, I just wanted to apologize for the long wait for a short chapter. This is not the full chapter I had planned, but I've been busy- haven't had a day off in about 30 days. I hope to have the next chapter (which will be the remainder of what this chapter planned to have plus all of chapter 3) up fairly quickly._

 _I decided to find a good chopping point in chapter 2, and I'm quite happy with how this mini-chapter turned out. So I hope you enjoy, despite the length and long wait :)_

* * *

Chapter 2: Elsa's Language

A month later, Elsa's mother sat around the corner, listening to her daughter's incredible melodies. Out of sight she hid, daring not to intrude on such a hallowed moment. Sometimes, Elsa played rapid, staccato pieces, intensity billowing through the house like smoke from an auditory fire. On special days, she'd perform major, upbeat songs, bouncing rhythms lifting the atmosphere in the large, under-inhabited home. Somehow, these days made it seem smaller, cozier, homier. Like everything was alright, like they were all laughing jovially together, even if they were in separate rooms. On those days, Elsa brought the family together, though from a distance.

She leaked her mood through the house, signalling the enigma that was her mind for those who cared enough to decode it. To learn the notes, to hear the turns of the music, the cries of the piano, the laughs of the keys. When she played, Elsa spoke. Not in descriptors, words, or ideas; but feelings, emotions, urges.

Idunn cared enough to learn the language, to not just hear, but _understand_ what made the music that day. To know the importance, to peak inside of her precious daughter's mind. To laugh with her, panic with her. To hurt with her.

Because today, Elsa's notes were slow, dissonant, melancholy. They seemed to spread across the cold hardwood floors and chill Idunn's spine. They called for help, but kept others at bay as the song droned beautifully, slowly, tearfully onward, beckoned by its creator's touch.

Today, Elsa was lonely.

Her mother closed here eyes tight, hand against the wall for support, and lids hot with the beginnings of tears. She took a silenced, uneasy, and unsatisfying breath as the last forlorn note struck, hanging in the air like the teardrop now on the tip of the woman's nose. It sang, morose but strong through the rooms, hallways, and doorways of the house, isolating each and every being in its path from one another. Making _them_ lonely, too.

She sniffled and turned away, no longer able to bear the desolation her little Elsa must be going through. A friend is all she wanted, she translated that clearly to only a trained ear. Alas, as desperately as Idunn wanted to fill that void, answer that call, she couldn't. As much of a companion as she could be to Elsa, she could never stop being her mother. Could never stop being her family, would never be able to fill the shape of the hole in Elsa's heart. The piece missing from her life: outside connection. External love, platonic or otherwise.

As much as Idunn hated to admit it to herself, no family, no cats, no journals, would ever have the ability to remedy that puissant brokenness that Elsa felt. Throat tight with tears, she made herself scarce.

Shoulders hunched over the grand, eyes slid shut, and tears tickling their way down pale cheeks, Elsa picked up a disruption. A faint sniffle, around the corner. Her head snapped to the doorway, but no one came. A soul for each soul in the world, but Elsa was the odd one out, and she had only just finished crying that out with music.

She knew it was her mother, hiding around the corner. Elsa just wondered how much the woman had pieced together. If she could decode the flowing of lithe fingers and feel the core of the admittedly one-sided conversation.

Elsa hoped she could.

 _Because I'm too pathetic to even talk to my own parents, like a normal person._

 _Socially stunted. Emotionally unstable. Can't even reach out to family._

Yes, Elsa relented, slumped in on her bench and heart hanging on by a thread, that was her. Incapable, unconsolable, and undesirable. Expressive only in music, alone by profession.

* * *

"It was _so_ embarrassing!"

"Well, you certainly know how to make a first impression, huh?"

"Says the guy who practically ran me _over_."

Hans smiled and shrugged. "Hey, it worked, didn't it?"

"Oh shush, you big oaf," Anna rolled her eyes and shoved the boy's shoulder.

"I just can't believe you made it this long without telling Hans about your day one incompetence." Kristoff's arms were crossed over his chest. (Yes, Kristoff! "Hey Christopher," Anna had said the second time she saw him, only to be slapped in the face with "it's Kristoff!"). Sven stood idly by. The "vel" to Kris's "cro".

The redhead mocked hauteur. "It's not my proudest moment."

"Do you even have a proudest moment?" A burly brown eyebrow was raised, the bell ringing to signify the start of their boxing match of words.

"One time I tripped all the way up a flight of stairs!"

"I'm not sure that's something you should be proud of," Kristoff said incredulously.

Hans glared at Kristoff, eyes narrow and pointed. He always made Anna laugh. That was Hans's job! Not Kristoff's! Hans hated how giggly, playful, and animated his girlfriend was around that _weirdo_ and his bizarre mute friend. In a word, the dryness in his mouth and anger in his chest could be summed up with jealousy. _Anna is_ mine _! That's how this works!_

Anna didn't have time to respond, for her shoulder was thwumped by a passing blur. Bouncy, shiny hair that reminded her of the moon's trickling light on only the most crisp of winter nights flourished around the crowd. A beautiful braid of hair, closer to not colored than having a color.

"Watch it, freak," Hans spat, placing his sizeable hand on a freckled shoulder, retroactive protection from what wasn't even at attack. It was clearly an accident.

Anna stepped from the boy's grasp. "Hans!"

"What?"

"That was uncalled for!" She turned, but the offender was gone.

"Well it's true!"

She swatted him on the shoulder, like his rudeness was an malevolent bug that could be squished. "You could hurt her feelings!"

He shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure that she has feelings."

"What do you mean?" Anna was having quite enough of this. Cruelty upon an unsuspecting stranger was never acceptable.

"That," Hans began, pausing briefly as if he was about to drop the holy grail of information on his girlfriend. "Is the Ice Queen of Arendelle High. That fuckin' freak never talks to anyone."

"Hey! Language!" Anna scolded, finger up and all. "You've never seen her talk, ever?"

"I've seen her cry. That's about as close as the shit gets."

Anna's shoulders slumped, her eyes softening and heart breaking. _That poor girl._ She didn't even know what the stranger's face looked like, but the mental image- more like mental feeling- of her sobbing alone stung. A sympathetic soul by nature, Anna dipped her feet into the cold waters of the small painting of this girl's life. "What if she's just shy? Why do you call her the Ice Queen, then?"

"Because," Hans portrayed impressive nonchalance. "Everyone else does."

"Ohhhkay, well why do they?"

"Because…" The boy's face contorted as if being sucked into a vortex of thought. "I… She…"

"I'll tell you why," Kristoff interrupted. "It's because, well they _claim_ she got Ariel's older sister, Ursula, expelled."

"-That's what I was gonna say!" Hans butted in indignantly, only to be shot a bored stare by Sven.

Anna chewed her lower lip. She wasn't conscious of it, but if she were, perhaps she'd begin referring to it as her Thought Nibble. Her default stance when the supercomputer in her skull known as a brain sucked joules. Could that be true? She hadn't even seen the other girl, just her hair for crying out loud, so why was it hard to believe? _Maybe I'm psychic. Maybe I can tell who someone is without knowing them! Just another alien power!_ It could be that the collision wasn't harsh, nor purposeful. Perhaps it was the skeptical tone with which Kristoff spoke.

"'They claim?' Did she?"

"I dunno what happened. What I do know is that she had to go to the nurse's office. The 'Ice Queen' did, that is." He put air-quotes around the name, disapproval upon his lips.

Anna pursed her own. "I've gotta go find her." _To apologise for Hans' behavior, if nothing else._

Kristoff and Hans called after her simultaneously.

"Wait!"

"Library!"

Purpose upon her features, the girl nodded at the blonde and marched off.

"Why do you know so much about The Iced Queen?" Hans pointedly looked at Kristoff, his face hard and eyes threatening. He stood to appear as large and menacing as possible. He had to let Kristoff know who was in charge, especially when Anna was around. So, his stance resembled a cobra ready to strike.

Kristoff furrowed his brows. "Why do you not?" The then sauntered off, unconcerned, leaving Hans alone with the fragments of conversation.

* * *

Belle sat in the back left corner of the school library. Quiet, empty. It felt removed from the rest of the school. Like there weren't hundreds of people walking around just outside the cinder wall that towered behind her. Coupled with falling into another universe of a book, and she achieved the soothing zen of isolation. Isolation from the hustle, from the noise, from the smell of gum and crappy cafeteria pizza. Insurgence to wherever she whimmed.

That's why she almost didn't notice when the door lightly shut and someone else shuffled quietly as a mouse to the back right corner of the library and took out her notebook. Belle recognized her. The hoodie, always the same hoodie. Elsa Snow.

The girl carefully placed her notebook on the table, brandished a pencil, and began scribbling something down. From her vantage point, so far away, she couldn't see the blue of Elsa's eyes, nor what she was writing. But she could see the shaking of her body.

" _Stupid! I'm stupid! Unbelievably, irreparable, and demonstrably stupid! I didn't see Anna. I didn't see Anna because I was too busy daydreaming about_ Anna _while I ran to the library. Imagine that. Someone so incable of a basic human function like sight that they slam right into the very thing they're thinking about!_

 _I swear, sometimes I think I might actually be as incapable as everyone else seems to think I am._

 _That's not even the worst part. She's with_ Hans _. Kissing Hans. That- that asshole! Of course he jumped on the opportunity to call me a freak._

 _Could that really be the kind of person Anna is, too? If she's drawn to someone like that, doesn't that mean…? She seemed so innocent. Like a poison dart frog. Vibrant, gorgeous even on the outside, but deadly. Like Ariel, like Eric, like_ everyone _else. It only took me a month to figure it out, too._

 _Stupid. I'm stupid."_

Belle saw Elsa chew her eraser. She wondered if she remembered her. The blonde was really out of it, and it was years ago, but did Elsa remember?

Belle remembered. Remembered the blood. Warm, sticky, clinging everywhere. The sickening thud of a head on linoleum, a foot against ribs. The weighty burden of practically dragging a bleeding girl to the nurse's office, limp, inching along like a sack of lead. The metallic smell in the air.

Remembered her own panic, rapid heartbeats pounding at her neck, adrenaline making her surroundings blurry.

So much red, across the floor, their clothes, Elsa's disturbingly peaceful, unconscious face.

The nurse in white, the relief knowing the blonde would be okay.

The relief when Elsa returned to school, but Ursula didn't.

Not once since then had they spoken a word to each other. Belle and Elsa, that is. Never before either.

Anna burst through the library doors. Cobweb covered, dusty bookshelves, suffocating darkness and silence, draining all life and energy from any who dared step foot within. A dementor, but books instead. A literary dementor! _Wait, aren't dementors literary dementors already, if they're from a book?_ She shook away the thought.

The point was that Anna didn't like the library. It was too- too something. Not too learny, learning was good. She even liked reading! So why? _Lonely._ Too lonely. Where chances at a social life went to die. Apparently; however, Elsa liked it in the library. Why else would she go there on lunch? _God, I haven't even talked to her and I'm already judging her._ The redhead narrowed her eyes, annoyed mostly with herself.

The library wasn't even dusty, covered in webs, or dark. She was just… generalizing. On the contrary, it was crisp and clean, well lit, probably for reading.

Her heart skipped a beat. A head of shiny platinum blonde hair, hunched over a table. Of course, sitting alone, just about as far from another human soul as physically possible.

"Hi," she brightly said, waving as she approached the table.

She was met with the widest, bluest, beautiful-est eyes she'd ever seen. That was a word, right? _Yeah, that's a word. Now it's a word._ Because it's all she could think of to describe the icy, rich, magnificent blue before her. Like the rippling waves of the ocean. She felt her stomach tighten a smidge. Elsa, much like herself, had a little button nose, cherubic cheeks, and an expression more stunned than a deer in headlights.

Yup, Anna decided. She was right. Everyone at this school must be a model.

* * *

 _A/N: And a post-note: thank you all so much for the follows, favorites, reviews, and patients, it means a lot and I hope to see you back for chapter 3 :D_


	3. Socialites

Elsa did not respond, she was too busy being in shock. Why was Anna talking to her? What did she want? Was Hans's insult not good enough?

Meanwhile, Anna did a little dance, like she had to pee. Perhaps she did have to. Elsa made her nervous. Why did Elsa make her nervous? _Oh, right. Gorgeous._

"I um, I just came by to, well you see, I wanted to, to say sorry. For- not for- for Hans. He was- that was rude of him, he- he didn't mean it, and-" Elsa had still not moved a muscle. Like she thought Anna might be a motion-oriented predator. It was a touch off-putting. "I'm sorry."

 _Say something! She's talking to you! Don't just sit there, stop being your normal, socially inept self and talk!_ Elsa's mouth was frustratingly uncooperative, tense and stubborn.

"Okay, well, I just wanted to say that and- ooh! My name's Anna!" She held out her hand. Attenuating her offer as the other girl made no move to accept, she side-swiped "what's yours?"

Like a deer in headlights, Elsa was frozen. Very, very bright headlights. High beams. And her poor little deer mind couldn't overcome the mesmerization of the shining beauty before her. _Talk!_

But too long went by, the moment stretched thin. "Oh-kay well I'm gonna go…" Adorably, with rosy cheeks, Anna gestured over her shoulder with her thumb and took a few steps backwards.

Elsa scolded herself. Anna, her crush, her incredibly intoxicating, chill-to-the-bone and outgoing crush was retreating because of her own incompetence to interact in any capacity. _Say something! Anything!_ "Bye." _Not that, you oaf!_

"I- I mean wait!" The platinum blonde screeched, actually reaching out. Twin braids swung as their owner turned back around, and Elsa felt the room becoming more tepid. Even as her cheeks flushed, she awaited her impending doom. Why would now be any different? Her prognosis was bleak, and her body prepared to face her ailment.

Nothing happened. Well, not nothing, something. But not something bad. Nothing bad. _Okay, get your head straight._ Anna smiled. It made Elsa's heart flitter like a butterfly, the violent, carbonated anxiety fizzing in her stomach popping something off inside like it would the cap to a bottle. The beautiful, freckled girl looked perfectly content with simply that and sat down at the table.

Elsa, disorientingly yanked from her rumination, stared. Anna sat. She must not be real, right? She's a cherub, wings and all.

They didn't talk. Little did the shy girl know, Anna loved every minute of it. Every minute of completely awkward, socially stunted staring, every minute of silent company. Incredibly uncomfortable silence that made even the outgoing redhead shift in discomfiture. Elsa was so curled in on herself that one could mistake her for a spiral, and Anna's leg just wouldn't stop wiggling.

So, they just sat, and Anna let her heart flutter high in her chest when she caught Elsa peering at her over the top of her notebook. Anna's face flushed rapidly, and she didn't see Elsa's for the rest of lunch. Too busy hiding was the other girl. Why did Elsa zap her mind like that? _I'm already with Hans, I shouldn't be so… interested? Fascinated? With someone else, should I?_

Hans was, as a matter of fact, the redhead's first boyfriend. Or girlfriend. Or any other sort of significant other in her life. She didn't have an excuse- if that's even something she needed in the first place- she was just never the biggest socialite. Sure, she got along with everyone, but it wasn't until high school when she started hatching from her shell. Now, she was just spreading her fledgeling wings of love for the first time. What if she was leaping from the nest before she was ready to fly? An angry maw opened in her stomach. She resolved to _not_ dive head first into Hans. She'd impel their relationship at the speed of a featherless, and thus likely flightless bird, whatever speed that may be. Hans _was_ good for her though, she surmised. Because he was handsome and charming. Anna bit her lip and focused on the wooden patterns of the table, still sitting with some misplaced anxiety. _Everyone has their flaws, Hans is no different._

Her dilly-dallying in the past brought her to the end of lunch, and when she looked up, Elsa was gone. Like that thing batman does. Elsa slapped her notebook on the desk, her racing thoughts already culminating through the flick of her pen.

" _She sat with me! The loneliness bug- Anna gave me a taste, no more than a mere drop of the antidote and it was almost- no, it_ was _a complete shock to my system! So potent is the cure, so powerful to overrun not only one's mind, but seize control of their body as well!_

 _Just a hint! Just enough to show me what the other side might look like. Like a rush of warmth after a bitter winter storm, like spying a tiny glimmer of light at the end of a long, winding tunnel._

 _And she showed me._

 _Anna showed me."_

Elsa squealed in delight, hugging tightly her words.

 _WAIT!_

 _Should I have gotten her information? Her- wait, would that have been weird? God I'm, so- I'm- I hope she talks to me again..._

* * *

Anna skipped down the aisle. White, linoleum tiles canvassed the ground, industrial rafters convalesced with fluorescent bulbs above, a lifeless white light exsanguinating life from the colors of packaged chips, crackers, and pastries lining the store's shelves. A young lad in a nice shamrock green t-shirt pranced around the next corner, vanishing from sight.

She _loved_ Fridays. She grabbed a bag of popcorn. White cheddar, of course. Ooh! And swiss rolls! And pretzels! And chips! And Dip! And- _Oh-kay hold your horses, space cowgirl._ One, two, three, four; she counted on her fingers, dropping the bag of pretzels. Anna contemplated her options, and put the pretzels back on the shelf. Chips, dip, and popcorn would be plenty of snack food. The swiss rolls were for her and her alone. She smiled and skipped off.

"Kai! I found my snacks!" She no less than threw her selections into her uncle's cart.

"I see you've made some… healthy choices." Kai was portly. No other way to put it. Except maybe fat. Portly and then some. His eyes were looking suspiciously at the baked goods Anna placed in the cart.

"I got popcorn," she shrugged.

"White cheddar popcorn."

Anna stuck out her tongue and made a face at him. " _Delicious_ cheddar popcorn."

The remainder of the cart was filled with not-so-junk foods. Carrots, celery, green beans, chicken, peas, what was he even gonna make with that stuff? There was more filling their grocery trolley but Anna only skimmed it. She already knew it'd all be impeccably healthy. Except for the singular bar of dark chocolate. Kai, in all of his masochistic glory, would have one square per day. _One!_ Imagine having chocolate and _not_ letting yourself eat it! Anna sympathetically hurt with him for that one.

But, he was trying to lose some weight. His circa 240 pounds weren't gonna lose themselves, she supposed.

" _Salty_ cheddar popcorn."

"Don't worry," she teased, "I'll eat all of it so you can stick to your diet thingy."

Kai chuckled. "Well thank you-"

"Elsa!" _Not off to a great start, considering she never told you her name._ Anna ignored her inner voice while waving frantically.

There she was. In that same sweatshirt, possibly the same jeans, trailing timidly behind her father. A tall and slim man with a commanding gruff, but kindly eyes. Or hungry eyes. After all, they were in a grocery store, and he was looking at food.

Elsa's eyes were hidden, her head bowed, pointed directly at her own feet. Her arms were crossed over her chest like a riot shield against the world.

Both the blonde and her father looked over at the source of the yelling. Anna jogged down the aisle to them, Kai slowly catching up with the cart.

Elsa did not speak..

"I um- yeah- I guess, I sorta- Kristoff- or Hans really- Hans told me your name."

She looked at the slim man. "I'm not- not some sort of creepy stalker or anything. But oh god saying that just makes me sound more like one doesn't it?" Continuing the one-sided conversation with a swift change of subject when her uncle finally arrived, Anna jabbered "Oh! Kai! This is my friend from school, Elsa!"

Kai smiled regally and gave a little bow that, from anyone but him, would have been posh. "So nice to meet you, Elsa." He stuck his hand out.

The blonde upkept her aberrant statue-ing. The portly man was about to drop his hand when Elsa's father reached out and took it in a firm shake. Handshakes really do tell a lot about a person. For instance: Elsa's father's was forceful but not aggressive, confident, but not lasting too long. Kai surmised that this man was a professional of some sort, with a practiced shake. His candor with it suggested that he wasn't overcompensating to hide physical weakness. He was comfortable in a social situation, with meeting strangers.

Unlike his daughter, who was not.

Kait wasn't judging, just observing. He smiled warmly back when he was greeted. "Nice to meet, you. I'm Agnarr, Elsa's father." He took Anna's hand in his for salute as well.

"Pleasure to meet you. And always a pleasure to meet one of Anna's friends." He tried and failed to make eye contact with the discomfited girl. "I am Anna's uncle, Kai."

"I haven't seen you around town before, are you new around here?" Agnarr inquired.

"Yes, in fact. A couple months now."

"Have you seen my brother!?" Anna jumped out of her skin, a girl with unrealistically long blonde hair both literally and figuratively crashed the conversation. She had emerald eyes in hysterics and a light dusting of freckles. Like Anna. But less freckles. A lot less. She hadn't seen her in school before.

"Umm…" the redhead started.

"He's about yea tall, skinny, pale, looks like he's never seen the sun before, and wearing a bright green shirt."

"Do I know you?"

"Probably not, but I'm looking for my brother, it's important!"

"Is he missing?" Kai worried.

"Yes! Sorta."

Anna raised an eyebrow.

"We're playing hide 'n seek, and he's winning!"

"Young lady, it is not polite to send strangers into panic over a missing child just for your little game." The rotund man wagged his finger, as if this person were no more than a barking dog.

"You're right, I'm sorry, my name is Rapunzel, hi, nice to meet you, now we're not strangers, have you seen a green shirt anywhere? That's what my brother was wearing!"

Anna's eyes widened. "The snack aisle! He turned towards the bakery when he left it!"

"Let's go!" the stranger eagerly cheered, beckoning forth a now giggling Anna.

"Let's find him!" And they marched with purpose they exploded into action together, auburn hair flirting with blonde as it bounced away. Elsa wished she was that carelessly social. As her crush left, so too did her good mood. The high from being introduced as Anna's friend was fading, and she was crashing.

Just then, cheery teal eyes turned back. "Elsa! Come on! We gotta find… uh-"

"Pascal!"

"Yeah, we gotta find Pascal!"

Elsa's heart pounded, she focused on breathing. After a moment of recalcitrance, her legs wobbled forth. Despite herself, a stupid little grin birthed on her lips, and her face became hot.

Agnarr looked on proudly. Elsa had a friend. And she was quite an outgoing one, a socialite, unlike his Elsa. He crossed his arms and smirked once they'd disappeared around the corner. He'd seen his daughter's simper. "So Kai, what do you do for a living?"

Kai chuckled. He knew his niece. "What kind of snacks does Elsa like?"

* * *

Elsa stood uncertainly, her arms tucked within her sweatshirt. She hadn't gotten Anna's number. She hadn't asked. She'd just said okay when Anna invited her to a get together that night. She didn't even know what she was walking into. Except that Anna was there. And Rapunzel. She had to ring the doorbell.

But she was nervous, oh so nervous.

Moments later, her father was at her side, a steady, comforting hand on her shoulder as he reach forward and pressed the doorbell. The ding rang, and Elsa's mouth dried. Agnarr couldn't help but notice that Elsa was shaking beneath his hand. He looked at her and took as much of her fear as he could with a confident stare. "You'll have fun, Elsa. Remember, Anna wants you there, that's why she invited you."

She nodded.

"Take a deep breath. You've got your journal with you?"

Again, Elsa nodded. "Y-yes." Her voice fought to stay down, but she ground it out.

"Good, if you feel overwhelmed, don't be afraid to step aside and write in it. It's a little token of safety, use it if you need it. Anna doesn't seem like the type to judge." He turned up the left side of his mouth.

Elsa thought back to lunch, days ago. Anna just sat there while Elsa hid in her diary. Her father was right. With a little more conviction this time, she nodded for the third time in as many minutes.

"Elsa! You're here! Come in!" The redhead's warm hand enveloped the blonde's and her heart jumped into her throat.

Anna's home was pleasant, cozy. Kai waived as they passed by the living room, and up to the third floor they marched. The attic was furnished as a bonus room, light, tan carpeted floors, soft yellow walls.

And Hans. Elsa's heart stopped, she suddenly felt overheated, like she wasn't able to catch a breath.

"You invited the Ice Queen!?"

"Hans! Apologize, now!"

"Why!?"

"Because _Elsa_ is my friend, and _Elsa_ is a sweetheart!"

"I- I- I should go-" Elsa took a step back, about to bolt like a startled cat.

"Yeah, you should."

"Don't listen to him." A calm, velvety smooth voice embraced the nervous girl. It's owner with soft, friendly amber eyes and boyish blonde bangs loosely hanging. "I'm Kristoff, and this is Sven."

Elsa turned. A hand was outstretched to her. She took it, her own trembling noticeably in the air. Kristoff did not comment on this. She'd seen him around school, but never spoken to him. She never saw him in collusion with anyone who'd ever hurt her before, present party of Hans excluded. He looked genuine, she decided.

"Um, h-hi." His grip was strong. It kinda hurt.

Kristoff leaned in, Elsa strained her neck away from him. "He's the jealous type."

She stared blankly, blinking to fill the space that her mind couldn't.

"Get comfy, Elsa, we're just waiting on Rapunzel, then we're gonna watch a movie!" Anna plopped down in the middle of an incredibly comfortable looking couch. Elsa took stock of the room. A bookshelf off to the side, built into a small alcove in the wall boasted hundreds of DVDs and blu-rays; a playstation and a large TV stood in a perpetual staring contest against the couch; and a coffee table acted as an abundant cornucopia of snacks.

Hans huffed and sat down _right_ next to Anna. Their thighs touched. He clasped his arm protectively around her. _No need to let that Freak Queen get any ideas,_ he decided to himself.

"Here, Elsa!" Anna happily and animatedly patted the spot on her other side. Elsa gulped and trudge forward. She gingerly placed herself on the couch- which she sank into several inches- as close to the armrest as physically possible without fusing to the damned thing. It left a few inches between her and Anna. "Help yourself!" She gestured to the gushing pile of snacks.

With much reservation, Elsa leaned forward, grabbed a napkin and plucked a small assortment of cut fruit from a little fruit salad. "Thank you," she quietly said. She popped a piece of watermelon into her mouth.

"Kai said that you like fruit." Anna's nose scrunched up, her shoulders curled to her ears. Elsa almost choked on her snack, her heart fluttered. _So cute. So ugh- why can't you just socialize!?_ "I wonder how he knew that," the other girl finished musing out loud. "I mean, he's always been really good at reading people, but that good?"

Elsa grinned a little. _Thanks dad._

Anna just shrugged. "Oh well."

"Sorry I'm late! I wasn't sure if we were at the right place, but then Kai- or rather your uncle- the big guy- he let me in! But I'm here! I- I made it!" Rapunzel bursted through the door. Anna squeaked and got up to greet her, and the new girl made her round introducing herself and her brother. Sure enough, a pale younger kid, maybe twelve or thirteen, with a bright green shirt on. Pascal. What a bizarre name for a child. If a human could look like a chameleon, that's what he looked like. His thick rimmed glasses even made his eyes appear to focus independently.

The lack of Anna left a cold void stretching between Elsa and Hans, palpable tension leaked across the no-man's land and paralyzed the girl. She avoided the piercing brown eyes at all costs. Following her dad's advice, she whipped out her journal and started to scribble her thoughts down.

"So, why haven't I seen you around school before?" Kristoff asked, arms crossed. Sven stood in an identical position and nodded once, curtly. Like they'd rehearsed this. Like they were a hive mind, or some creepy stuff.

"Ummm because we're- well Pascal is and I was- homeschooled. But I graduated a couple years ago!" Rapunzel proudly proclaimed.

A raised brow. "You graduate homeschool?"

"Well, sorta. You kinda just get this certificate thingy, like your highschool diploma, but for us weirdos."

"Hey, I didn't say it's weird," they boy countered. "I just didn't know. Shouldn't you be in college then, though?"

"She doesn't want to go to college." The younger kid's voice was nasally.

"Pascal!" Rapunzel scolded. "I just want to make sure I go for something I love."

"She _wants_ to be an artist that just daydreams all day," he poked fun.

"Exactly! And I don't see the point of paying so much money for something I don't actually need a degree to do!"

Kristoff looked interested. "What kind of art do you do?"

"I paint, mostly. And sing."

The boy tittered. "You seem like the type to paint- hmm, let's see… Sunsets."

Rapunzel frowned. "That's creepily close. Stars and lanterns in the sky. And some sunsets."

She looked around the room. There was that quiet girl from the store sitting like a scared mouse on the edge of the couch. Like a metaphorical cat was watching her. Rapunzel scratched her head. When Anna asked that girl- _umm- I-_ whatever her name was, to come tonight, she hadn't even really responded, just went red and wide-eyed. Anna had just kinda assumed it was a "yes."

No matter. Now that the blonde paid attention, watching the shy girl writing something down, curled on the couch, glancing frequently up at Anna, who was engaged in a conversational encounter with Pascal, she figured it out. Smirking, Rapunzel watched as Anna now trotted back to the couch, right between whoever that handsome dude was and Little Miss Writer Pants. The guy put his arm around the redhead and Rapunzel grimaced. _Poor girl. Perhaps it's time to properly make a new friend. For the second time today._

"Hey," she approached. A squeal and a dropped pen later, she had the attention of rich blue eyes. "We didn't get properly introduced yet, my name's Rapunzel, as you probably remember, what's yours?"

A few seconds went by. "Elsa."

"Nice to meet you- again."

"I- you too."

Rapunzel laughed nervously, unsure how to fill the awkward space. _Not much of a talker, I take it._ "Is that um- is that your diary?"

Tomatoes. That's what those plump, now very colored cheeks reminded the blonde of. Ripe tomatoes. Elsa panicked, sitting on the book to hide it, wishing she too could disappear somewhere. "I- um- no it's my- my not thoughts- I just- embarrassing stuff-"

Rapunzel softly put her hand on the blonde's shoulder. A hoodie seemed like strange attire for the weather, but she ignored it. "Hey, it's okay, it's pretty cool that you keep a diary. I keep one, too. At home."

Unbeknownst to the pair, Anna's teal eyes lingered on Rapunzel's hand, resting so gently on the thin shoulder. She knew that little buzzing inside of her stomach. She tried to snuff it by curling farther into her boyfriend, but that behaved like throwing gas on a fire. Anna bit her lip in thought.

"Do- you do?"

The redhead tried another tactic. She shifted while Elsa was still distracted. Yes, it made her practically lay on Hans, but it moved her knee to be less than an inch from Elsa's. It felt like radiation from the sun on her leg. The nearer the left it, the more intense the feeling. Anticipating a touch- just a brush. Static electricity charging the air.

"Yeah! I'll show it to you sometime!"

Elsa's heart buzzed. "Yes." _Wow, way to go. You sure know the English language. You can even find the wrong time to use a word._

Kristoff popped in a movie, grabbed an armful of snacks and located a chair to plop down on, Sven curled up on the floor, Rapunzel perched herself on the armrest next to Elsa, and Pascal was… somewhere.

Rapunzel's spot made Elsa inch to the right to avoid accidentally touching her. That would be catastrophic, a social meltdown. She pinched her knees together, as now she was getting dangerously close to brushing against Anna's knees, which Elsa admittedly would like more than anything.

But she couldn't. She had to curl up tightly. Her stomach churned discontentedly. This was going to be a long movie. She glanced at Anna and smiled a little to herself.

On the other hand, maybe the movie would be too short.

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you so much for your patience and support, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to more to come :D_

 _Until next time, I'd love to see your thoughts below :)_


	4. (Un)Common Ground

_A/N: Updated with some minor tweaks :)_

* * *

"So, she just... _talked_ to her?"

"Yes!"

"Like they're friends?"

"She even _said_ they're friends. 'My friend from school,' that's exactly what she said."

Idunn couldn't contain herself. A smile so motherly that it practically produced and raised a new child on its own blessed her features. "And Elsa- our Elsa- did she- well did _she_ talk?"

"Noo," Agnaar drawled, stroking his beard and looking to the ceiling for answers. "As a matter of fact, I'd wager she's not spoken a word to Anna at all."

"But she's made a friend!" The woman hugged her husband tightly, burying her face in the crook of his neck. His facial hair was a little bristly, but the itch never bothered her.

"Yes," he said, kissing her gently on the forehead and resting his cheek upon her soft hair. "She has. She said she'd call when she's ready to come home. I believe they're over there for snacks and a movie."

He pulled away from their hug to look his wife in the eyes. With a smirk crinkling the skin around his eyes, he teased "and Idunn, you should've seen how Elsa looked at this Anna girl."

"Oh?" She asked with a devious smirk. "Was it the same way you used to look at me?"

"The same way I _still_ look at you," he winked.

* * *

That was a week ago.

Well, a little more than a week.

A week, 2 days, and 14 hours ago. Roughly.

Elsa was not enjoying this club expo. Not one bit, nope, zip, nada. She hugged herself and tried to shrink in the crowd, daring not let her eyes stray from the gymnasium floor. Colored lines marked the wooden ground with symbols that she did not understand, but she assumed were related to basketball. Why was she even here?

"Wow!" Anna spun in place, marveling at the colors, booths, hundreds of people, and general noisy ambiance. Constant chatting but no discernable voices. Like music to her ears.

That's why Elsa was there.

"Big whoop, lots of people desperate to get your attention to validate their hobbies in the most official way a high schooler possibly can." Kristoff's arms were crossed. Elsa had noticed that that seemed to be his default setting.

Sven did whatever he did, but silently.

"Oh come on, you can't stand there and tell me that there's _nothing_ here that looks interesting."

"I really think I can."

"What about that?" Anna pointed. She was smug. So smug, the triumphant little grin on her face. Kristoff almost wanted to smack it right off. Elsa, on the other hand, quite fancied that look on the girl.

A massive, glorious sculpture of a reindeer stood upon a booth. Not just any sculpture though. It was made entirely of _ice._ Kristoff's jaw dropped, betraying that no, Anna's smugness was not misplaced. He was drawn to how the delicately carved, melting form glistened in the light, translucent with a fresh cyan hue. "Nope, nothing at all interesting," he sorta just mumbled. He motioned for Sven to follow, and walked mesmerized to the chisel and ice wielding students.

Anna giggled. She then grabbed Elsa's hand and skipped forward. "Let's go!"

The blonde's heart skipped a mighty beat. It was just her and Anna now, and this was the first time that the bubbly girl had absent mindedly grabbed Elsa's hand. It was… elating.

Off they went, Elsa's excited and timid toes stumbling only momentarily to match Anna's acceleration.

"There's got to be a club we can join!"

 _Wait, "we?"_ Elsa's heart skipped yet another beat. If they joined a club _together-_ Elsa ignored some more imaginative connotations that word planted in her mind. Together with Anna. Holding hands like now, _together_ with Anna- _stop! God, if Anna could read minds, she'd be disgusted with you._

Anyway, if they joined a club together, they'd be hanging out almost every day after school.

"Well?" Anna's teals peered expectantly.

"Huh?" Elsa blinked rapidly.

"What do you like to do in your free time?"

"Oh, um," she moved to hug herself, but loathed for her hand to leave Anna's. Curse the human form, why could she not be blessed (cursed?) with three arms? Then, she could easily fulfill all currently desired functions. "Read- I read."

"Great! I'm sure we can find a- "

"Alone." _Wha- why!? Why did you just say that!? She's actively searching for common ground, for something you can both do together! You oaf!_

"Oh-kay, what else do you like to do- err- not alone? With people. Or, maybe if you do everything alone, then what's something you'd want to do with people? Not that- oh god, not that I mean I think you do everything alone because- because you're a great person and all and I think it's really cruel that people kinda ignore you- not that I'm spending time with you because of pity- oh god, I'm so sorry, I'm rambling, it's a problem. Rambler's anonymous, my name's Anna- I- I'm gonna shut up now."

Elsa felt something clench in her stomach. _Was_ it just pity? Anna said that it wasn't, but if it was, wouldn't that be exactly what she'd say, to make her feel better? The blonde looked to the floor, she took her hand from Anna's to fidget with her own fingers. "I- I do everything alone." _Well, if it wasn't pity before, it's certainly pity now._

Anna blinked for a moment. That was the most complete sentence she'd gotten from Elsa since they met.

Too bad it sounded like it was laced with anxiety. Without thinking, she placed her hands, one on each of Elsa's shoulders and tried to make eye contact. She did feel the incredible tenseness of the other girl's shoulders, and did not receive anything but an eyeful of hair. An eyeful of gorgeous, soft looking, almost white hair. "Let me try that again. Elsa, I promise- cross my heart- that I want- I- time… uh, I spend time with you because I want to spend time with you." _Man, that was hard to say right._ It felt like her throat grew a mind of its own and just didn't want to make a noise. Anna wondered if that's how Elsa felt all the time. "And no other reason."

In any case, she just hoped that she'd quelled whatever seed of anxiety she'd planted in Elsa's mind. Without overstepping. _Oh god, did I overstep?_

Finally, Elsa looked up, and Anna jumped back. Her cheeks lit up like a fire over gasoline, and she had half a mind to go hug that ice sculpture to cool off. Elsa was blushing too and _oh my God! That's so adorable!_

"Soo eh-heh- um- what if- how about we find something that neither of us has ever done!"

Elsa nodded, and they continued their hunt.

* * *

"So anyway, I ended up snorting pudding pie through my nose _and_ losing the contest, but it's still a win in my book, because I got a free pie, and I got to eat the whole thing by myself!"

Elsa giggled, hiding her mirth behind slender knuckles. They were still waltzing around the club expo. They must've passed about half the booths by now. No word from Kristoff or Sven (well, obviously not from Sven), and nothing that looked both new and interesting. To Elsa. Anna tried for just about everything, but it was vetoed by the loner.

"I hope it was a good pie at least."

"The parts of it I ate with my mouth tasted better than the parts I sucked through my nose," Anna laughed.

"Maybe a napkin would have helped!" _Seriously? That's the best you could come up with?_

The redhead grinned. Elsa was starting to relax a little. That meant- and this thought made Anna's stomach feel warm and fuzzy- that Elsa was getting more comfortable around her. "Yeah I dunno about one, maybe ten or twenty napkins coulda helped with the cleanup though," she joked.

Soccer club was too much running, softball club just wasn't up Elsa's alley, dancing- well that involved a stage and an audience. Anna had thought for a moment she'd found a winner with music club, at which time she learned that Elsa had played the piano for quite some years. But lo and behold, music club was denied when the pianist found out there was a stage involved for that as well. Math was- well okay, Anna vetoed math, biology, and physics clubs.

But she was determined. There _had_ to be something for them!

Elsa, on the other hand, was beginning to wonder how much they actually had in common. What if it wasn't enough? What if their friendship was founded on a false assumption- Anna's false assumption- that Elsa was even worth being friends with in the first place? If they didn't have much in common, could they really be anything more than acquaintances? Could they really be together? _Okay, slow down, your desperation is showing._

"Ooh, Elsa, videogaming club! That'd be fun! There's no stage, no running, there doesn't even have to be social interaction! Just playing games together!"

Those were all positives, but… "I've never really played videogames."

Anna's jaw dropped. "Never?"

"No."

"Never ever?"

"I- still no." Elsa sorta felt like a bug under a heat lamp.

"They're fun!" Anna, a veteran of such things, elaborated. "There's pretty much a game for everyone, we can find something that'll keep your interest!"

Biting her lip, Elsa inquired "what's your favorite videogame?"

The other girl also chewed on her lip, Elsa noticed. "Hmm, that's a tough one. There are too many! My favorite mindless fun game is totally Smash Bros- but then again there are so many great online games. And Pokemon was pretty much my whole childhood, so that's gotta be up there, and if we're going retro we might as well go newschool too, so my favorite more recent console game is probably The Last of Us- though that's not really that recent so maybe I should pick another-"

"Can um- could I just- just watch?" _You actually did it. You spoke without sounding like a moron._

Anna's grin split her face. "Absolutely!"

They signed up for the club, run by some skinny guy who's glasses seemed to encroach over most of his face. Milo? Elsa was pretty sure that was his name. She was busy fawning over how excited Anna was getting about this.

It only met once a week, on Fridays. That meant that Anna's normally scheduled program of movies and snacks with Hans and company would be rescheduled and Friday afternoon would be her and Elsa playing some games. Elsa smiled, happy with herself and heart pounding. She swept her eyes along the crowd, scanning for hostiles. She gulped and took in a deep breathe. Just a little longer.

"OhmygodElsa! I know we just found a club, but what about that one!?"

To Elsa's horror, Anna pointed merrily, cheerfully, _excitedly_ even at a colorful booth that boasted a prominent bow and arrow.

And one of the most ridiculous manes of hair she had ever seen in her life. More hair than her and Anna combined. Curlier than a spring. Redder than blood. _Okay, maybe that's a little bit of a hyperbole._

By this time, Anna had already approached the girl, who had a somewhat round face, but humungous, clear blue eyes.

It was too late.

Or maybe not.

Maybe if Elsa just stayed here, she wouldn't be dragged in to joining this club. All this worrying was tiring her out, even if Anna being around helped drastically.

When they were talking, it didn't feel like they were in the gymnasium, decorated with booths, flyers, colors, noise, and people. It felt like they were just… talking. Just them. Elsa supposed this is why she'd been so successful in navigating the horde thus far. Anna was like her lifeline.

A lifeline that was now twenty feet away. Elsa hunched and hugged her arms over her chest, and just like that, the pressure fell upon her. Like rocks laid abreast her body, crushing her ability to breathe. She felt as though she swallowed some of those rocks, and as she fell into this grievous cycle, the room began to become uncomfortably hot. What if someone found her? Ariel, or Eric? Or Hans?

"Aye, an' just you, then?"

"Oh actually me and Elsa here- wait where'd she go?" Anna reached her hand back, finding nothing but air, and swiveled about, scanning the area for her friend. Elsa was _just_ here, where could she have gone so fast? Was she secretly Batman? Did that make sense? Isn't there already a female superhero in that universe? Catwoman? Could Catwoman vanish like Batman did?

 _Focus._ Anna had to admit, she was saddened to know Elsa had left. Had she done something wrong? _Was it something I said? Does she not want to spend time with me? Is she angry about my comment about her not having friends?_ Anna felt about as much like rotting leaves in the bottom of a gutter as a human could. Wondering if she hurt the fragile girl's feelings.

Merida, on the other hand, stood with her brows furrowed and mouth hanging open. "You e'em, you walked up alone."

"Right um, well, I thought, I mean I coulda sworn, I thought I wasn't."

"Uh-huh, well um, just sign yer name 'ere an' you'll be good to go." Was this girl crazy? Did Merida want a crazy person shooting a bow? _Of course I do! They're trainin' arrows 'nyway!_

Anna scribbled her name onto the empty signup sheet. After just a moment of deliberation, she asked "are there any competitions or anything in this club? Or is it just practice?"

The crazy-haired Scot scratched the back of her head nervously. "Aye well, 'tis just you an' me so far, so no comps, no."

Anna grinned and wrote _'Elsa Snow'_ on the paper as well.

"Welcome to the club! Oh, my name's Merida, by th'way."

"Melda?"

"No no, Me _rid_ a."

"Me _rida_ ," Anna repeated slowly, butchering the pronunciation again.

"You'll git better a' it," she smiled.

"Right, I'm Anna, nice to meet you! Oh and I signed my friend Elsa up, too, see you at practice!"

"Bye!" _Crazypants? And Elsa Snow? Isn't that that quiet girl who got Ursula Expelled?_

Anna went straight out of the fair and pulled out her phone. Hans had sent a few 'where are you' texts. She shot back ' _Just leaving the club fair thingy, see you at lunch.'_ She threw in a little smiley face for good measure.

Nothing from Elsa. Her heart sank. She didn't really know what she expected. The idea of texting her volleyed in her mind for a few minutes. Her heart said yes, but her mind said…

 _If she left because of you, then texting her now won't help, she needs some space. I think._

Stupid logic. Anna sighed and went back to class.

* * *

On the way, one thought did bring her pearly white, bright smile back. Elsa and her had videogame club together on Friday.

That afternoon when Elsa got home, she was haunted with doubt. The perennial ghost plaguing her mind. Should she have just run away like that? _Couldn't you have just stuck it out a littler longer you coward? She was right there. And you just left. Without saying goodbye or any notice._

But Anna would understand, right?

Or not.

What if she hurt Anna's feelings? Elsa's stomach tightened with that thought. She took out her phone and brought up the text message screen.

But did Anna really want to hear from her?

"Miaoww," a purring Olaf jumped onto Elsa's bed, strutting up to her and purring.

"Should I text her, Olaf?"

The cat settled onto its owner's lap and curled up, placidly putting its head down for a nap.

Elsa sighed and put her phone away, her stomach writhing inside. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind.


	5. Comfort Zones

"Anna, can we please talk about something else? Elsa's all you've talked about all day."

"Oh, right, sorry, I- I'm just worried that I hurt her feelings, or that she's mad at me."

"I know, you said that already."

"I know I know, I'm sorry, what if she took my whole pity comment to heart? God, I feel terrible.

She's so fragile; I don't want to hurt her feelings."

"Why do you even care?"

Taken aback, Anna all but gasped "because she's my _friend_."

"Well I'm your _boyfriend_ , you don't want to hurt my feelings, do you?"

"No, Hans, of course not-"

"And constantly talking about someone else hurts my feelings." Hans wore a skillful mimic of the classic puppy dog eyes. He let them glisten just right, let that dull brown become a rich amber under the shine of the lights above, bottom lip pushed outward just enough- not too much. Too much lower lip made it look fake. It made the performance break any suspension of disbelief the audience- his audience, held. "It makes me feel unimportant."

She sighed. "Of course you're important, you're so important to me." She grabbed his hand in her own and stared into those deep eyes.

"You're so important to me too," he cooed, tightening grip over her slender hands.

Anna smiled, some warmth pooling back into her chest as the words flowed into her mind.

"Tell you what, later, I'll take you out on my steed and floor it, we'll go as fast as you want."

She tittered. "Your 'steed'?"

"Yeah- my- my Mustang. Because a Mustang is a type of horse- "

"I get it," she chided a little playfully. "I've just never heard you call your _steed_ by such a name before.

Hans… actually blushed a little bit. He didn't really know what to say, which was strange for him. He was a tad annoyed at that feeling.

"But that sounds wonderful, thank you." Anna leaned across the table, puckering her lips up for a peck.

Hans's lips were warm and strong. They weren't like sandpaper, but they certainly weren't soft. _Manly, I guess?_ As manly as lips could feel, Anna supposed that's what it was like. She loved his kisses; they always made her heart jitter a little.

Their first kiss; now _that_ was a different story. Her poor little heart practically did a backflip in her chest. It almost felt painful, his lips were more scalding than anything the first time, leaving some lingering, seared flesh behind.

But now, their kisses were just… normal. Yes, she still liked them.

 _I bet Elsa's lips would be softer than his._ She mused, eyes closed as her boyfriend met her request for a peck on the lips. Her stomach did this weird kinda floaty thing when she thought that, and she brought her knees together.

They parted, and her eyes opened her mind back to reality. _Focus. You're here, with your boyfriend._ The same boyfriend that she was _with._ She was friends with Elsa. Friends! She had to pay attention to the man she was falling in love with. Or the man she was _supposed_ to be falling in love with?

Yes, falling in love with. Anna was supposed to be falling in love, so that's what she told herself: she was falling in love.

 _I need to apologize to Elsa._

But soon, they were on the open road, ripping rubber across asphalt like street racers, Anna's eyes wide with excitement and her worries melted into another reality by the adrenaline high pulsing through her veins like electricity.

Hans smiled. Anna had forgotten the whole thing.

"So, you feel better now?" Hans asked once he slowed down to a reasonable 60 in a 55.

"Of course," she squeezed his hand in hers. "So uh, did you hear, Kristoff joined the ice sculpting club. He's gonna be the next, like- well actually, I don't know any ice sculptors. The next Michelangelo, but with ice."

"That's good for him. Do you think I should've joined a club?"

Anna perked up. "There's still time if you want to! You could join the gaming club, ooh, or the archery club! Oh, and that reminds me, the gaming club meets on Fridays, so we'll have to start getting together on Saturdays, is that okay?" Little did she realize that the gaming club was more _talking_ about games rather than playing them. When she did find that out, she'd swiftly lose interest.

"Saturdays are fine. If I join a club, I want it to be something I'm good at. What do you think?"

"Hmm," Anna assumed her standard thinking pose: tongue out. "Debate. I think you'd be great at the debate club."

Thick brown eyebrows jumped in surprise. She'd just pitched a curveball at him. She wasn't wrong though. He caught himself laughing. "I'll give you that one. I'll look in to it. Did Elsa join any clubs with you?"

* * *

"Don't- hey- give me back my book!"

Belle heard the shrill voice as she exited the library near the end of lunch. Elsa hadn't shown up in their shared kingdom of books and knowledge. Not that she was stalking Elsa or anything, just, well Belle didn't know exactly why, but ever since she dragged a bleeding, dazed Elsa to the nurse, she couldn't help but pay attention to the girl. Perhaps she was just unable to stand by suffering by altruistic nature, perhaps her motives were shellfish with desire to befriend another who reads as much as her.

And not like it was really _their_ shared kingdom on books. They still had yet to say a word to each other.

The point was that Elsa wasn't in her normal spot that day, and Belle didn't recognize her distressed voice right away when leaving the library. Probably because she had really only heard it a couple times ever.

A crowd convalesced into a circle at attention; in the center a cartoonishly tall specimen of rippling muscle and odorous manliness dangling a textbook above a frail, frantic girl's outstretched arms.

 _Thank God,_ Belle thought to herself, _he didn't take her diary._

It was like watching a fish chase a bobber, a sickeningly prideful smile splitting the lips of the taunting fisherman. He wanted no meal; simply to cause suffering was sustenance enough for him.

In the edge of the circle, Belle spied that new girl, Anna. The one who'd shown the kindness and boldness to befriend the Snow Queen. For that, the brunette admired her. Upon the red head's face was not an expression of amusement like the remainder of the crowd, but an expression of frozen terror.

Why the outgoing girl was not acting, Belle did not know, but she did feel emboldened by Anna's precedent weeks prior. So, she loudly stomped forward, tucking her paperback novel underneath her left arm as she marched with purpose.

"What'd you say, Snowy? ' _Don't give it back?'"_

"Gaston!"

The overbuilt lad immediately snapped to attention at the sound of her voice. This was, perhaps the one time she was actually _happy_ that he'd been relentlessly and fruitlessly pursuing her for the better part of a year. He was, for all intents and purposes, under her thumb.

"Belle," he relayed.

"Give Elsa back her book." She surprised herself with the resolve, confidence, and aggression in her voice.

"You mean the Snow Queen?" He dumbly responded.

"Snow White is the actual Snow Queen; Elsa just wants her book back." It wasn't untrue. Snow White wasn't the meanest of the 'popular' group, but she certainly was not kind by any stretch. And who was she even to call Elsa Snow the Snow Queen? Her _first name_ was literally Snow!

"If I give it back, will you go out with me?"

"I'll think about it," Belle answered equivocally.

His peanut brain seemed to process this a little slower than normal, but he relented and dropped the textbook on the linoleum tile with a loud _THUD!_

"Good, now get to class before you're late," she demanded before he had the opportunity to approach her.

He dropped his head and did as he was told. And with Gaston's departure, interest seemed to die down, and the audience dispersed with a low, generalized mumbling.

Anna stayed rooted. Why hadn't she helped? The strawberry blonde berated herself viciously. Rationalization fought with reality in a head-splitting clout. If she'd stepped in, it would have just been more evidence that she only hung out with Elsa out of pity- as un true as that was. What if Elsa was still upset at her? What if she didn't even want to talk to her?

But not helping was worse, wasn't it? Anna knew the answer to that. Helping was what a true, caring friend would do. Not helping was what a shallow, pity friend would do. Not helping was what someone who's irrationally worried about how fragile the psyche of her new friend may or may not be would do.

Not helping was the wrong answer, and Anna knew that. But she'd have stepped in if Belle didn't-

 _No, stop. Don't you dare justify this. Don't even try._

Belle quickly knelt down to pick up and hand Elsa's book to her. The shy girl gingerly took it, like a rabbit, unsure whether or not a predator was nearby. Ready to dart at any second, not trusting a single bit of its surroundings.

"Here," the brunette presented the peace offering.

Elsa looked around. To the side was Anna. She felt a pang in her heart. Anna just watched. Anna didn't want to help. Sure, it wasn't her duty to help, Elsa wasn't her responsibility, but it still made Elsa feel crummy. Unimportant? Maybe that was the word. Was Anna angry with her? What if she was still upset by Elsa vanishing at the club expo?

Tears welled up in Elsa's eyes, and she choked down a lump in her throat. What if Anna didn't really care? What if it actually _was_ all just pity?

She tore her eyes from wide teals, but didn't notice the regret weighing heavily in those normally bright eyes. She had no way to know that Anna's heart, too, was heavy.

"I- um- Thank- thank you," she muttered to Belle, voice betraying nigh whimpering.

As she turned, she heard a sweet, melodic voice. Solicitude thick. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes," her eyes stung and she sniffled. "Thanks."

She gripped her books tightly to her chest as she turned and walked to class, as if they'd mend the rapidly expanding wound in her heart. Was Anna really that upset with her? _Of course she is, why wouldn't she after you just ghosted her?_

 _Dammit, Anna, what's wrong with you?_ The redhead was still scolding herself. _Just talk! Talk!_ But Elsa was again out of sight. _I have to find her after class…_

So that was Anna's resolve for the rest of the day. Her mission, if you will. It wasn't exactly Mission Impossible, but the theme music played in her mind anyway. _Dun dun dun-dun dun dun dun-dun_.

 _I bet Elsa can play that on piano._

She had to hype herself up. The more time she spent doing so, the less time she had to overthink the whole situation and short her brain.

When the final bell rang, after classes that crawled along like dripping molasses, Anna made quick strides to the front of the school. Her friend was just about to get into her dad's car.

"Elsa!"

She stopped, hand halfway to the handle, glanced Anna behind her, and looked to her father for answers.

His sheltering brown eyes flicked behind his daughter. After making eye contact with Elsa once again, he nodded once.

She gulped. Anna was going to scold her. To tell her how much running away at the club expo hurt her feelings. She was going to say right to Elsa's face how upset she was with her. And that… that would hurt Elsa. It'd slice and dice her insides, make her heart shrivel like a tomato in an oven.

 _No, I can't do this._ So, she opened the car door and moved to get in. If she ran again, she wouldn't have to be hurt.

Agnarr put his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Elsa," he said, "it's okay, I can wait a few minutes while you two talk."

"N-no it's okay, r-really."

Her voice was trembling. Fear? Sorrow? Both? In any case, the remedy was not to flee, but to mend the wound. To treat the area. Given her demeanor and the look on little Anna's face, he presumed that the wound was, in fact, inflicted upon their relationship. In what way it mattered not.

"Look, Elsa, I don't know what happened, but hiding won't help anything."

She looked at him skeptically. A look of pure innocence, of palpable, vulnerable fear. She was letting someone into her heart, and that is perhaps the scariest endeavor of anyone's life. He softened his voice. "I know how terrifying it is. My heart has been broken before. More than once. And me and your mother, well, let's just say that it was a slow road for me to let her in- "

"Dad!" Elsa's face was beet red. Her and Anna being compared to her mother and father. _Oh god he knows, why am I so obvious?_

He smirked and continued. "The key was communication, though. If you two communicate, you will be able to face any obstacle."

No answer befell him.

"So, go on. I'll wait here."

Anna looked on as Elsa gawked at her parent. She then, in the most precious of ways, plucked her journal and hugged it tightly to her bosom, standing with trembling legs and making her way to the red head.

Anna only had moments to fawn. She resisted the urge to fan herself off. Elsa looked so unsure, so nervous, visibly shaking, her fingers white from the death grip with which she hung to her dear journal lifeline.

It was cuter than a puppy.

And, if Anna was being honest with herself, it was more than a little attractive.

She then realized that they'd been standing in silence for several moments. Elsa, for her part, had tried to speak, but nothing came out. She felt dizzy.

"I um- Elsa, I- I'm sorry-"

 _Wait, what? No, Anna, I'm sorry! Why aren't you mad at me? Why can't I say anything, talk!_ Her lips parted, but nothing but the tiniest of squeaks escaped the confines of her vocal chords.

"-I'm so sorry. That doesn't even begin to cut it. I'm so super sorry, Elsa. I didn't mean to say that- not that I was even really thinking it- and that's just the problem, I didn't think at all. I didn't mean to suggest that you don't have any friends, because, well, that's not true. You have me." She paused for a moment, looking into Elsa's deep, blue, astonished, stunned, and astonishingly stunning eyes. Her tummy felt a little fuzzy when she said that, and the silence spread comfortably for just a second. "And I'm sorry if I made you think that I spend time with you because I pity you. I don't pity you. Quite honestly, I admire how you can do anything on your own, I get so- I just get so- I dunno, lost? Lonely?

"Anyway, Elsa, I'm just sorry. For everything, for upsetting you, and I understand why you ran away after that, I understand why you didn't want to talk to me." Anna absentmindedly hung her head to the ground, fixating on tapping her heals together rather than the conversation.

This time, the silence was not tranquil. It lasted a while.

"I- I get lonely, too," Elsa suddenly said. She tried to clamp down her mouth so hard that it'd take her words right back. Her voice was low, just barely a whisper, but carried a certain, smooth-yet-gruff undertone to it that Anna loved.

That being said, the statement caught Anna off guard. "I- you- well, everyone gets lonely." Did Elsa just… ignore the whole last two days?

Elsa felt so very exposed in that moment. Her leg twitched as if to run again, but her father's words rang in her mind: _"I know how terrifying it is… the key is to communicate."_ So, she stayed, feeling very faint. She longed desperately to say just three words: _I'm sorry, Anna._

"So… are we good?" Anna asked, twiddling her thumbs and rocking in place.

 _No, not even close. I'm the one that should be apologizing to you. I don't deserve to have you around. You're perfect, Anna. I- I wish we could be so much more; I wish I could get myself to speak! To apologize for running, for making you anxious, for being so selfish and wanting you so much! I wish I could be anything for you but my selfish, loser self._

Elsa swallowed her thoughts. They were thick with self-loathing. Once again, she nodded. "Of- yes."

"Good! Because I signed you up for the archery club."

"What!?"

"Oh! And do you know how to play the Mission Impossible theme on piano?"

Elsa erupted into laughter. Anna. Was. Perfect.

* * *

Belle got home that evening after a long day of school and afternoon of running errands for her family. She put a grocery bag down on the counter, skipped to her room, and settled into her little reading nest. A little alcove against a large window on the second floor, outfitted with pillows and blankets, comfortable enough to spend hours in. She pulled out her book, and got to reading.

All the while, she wore a smile, because she was proud of herself. Today, she had gone outside of her comfort zone.


	6. Shots Fired

_A/N: Honestly, thank you all so much for continuing to enjoy my writing. I means the world and you all are amazing people and should feel wonderful about yourselves :)_

* * *

Merida woke up late for school, as usual. Out of bed, down the stairs she flew, a clack as she snatched up her bow and a quiver of arrows. She caught some toast thrown at her during her wiz through the kitchen and took a mighty bight down on it, only to nearly break off a tooth.

"Boys!" she yelled, while now looking at the toast- if one could even call it that. Burnt to a blackened crisp, hard as a crude onyx arrowhead. She threw it in the triplets' general direction, Harris ducking to the side to dodge it, Hubert and Hamish cackling like little demons.

Her little brothers could be downright _evil._ She grabbed a fresh apple instead, chomping down on it, the juice splashing over her face in a very un-ladylike spectacle. "I'm off ta' school 'en," she announced, trying to sneak out before-

"Merida, a laedeh does nae need a bow at school."

The redhead let out an audible grunt of disapproval. Always lady this, lady that. Why couldn't she just accept that Merida wanted _nothing_ to do with being a 'lady?' No Barbies when she was a kid, no pink everything, no high heels or tight dresses.

"Oi, Lae' th' lass be." Her father interjected, waving around a rather large cooked sausage above a plate piled in ham, eggs, sausage, and butter. He was a large man, literally thrice the size of his wife with a shoulder span so great that he _actually_ had to turn sideways to fit through the front door of his own home.

"Fergus, whit on Earth does sh' need a bow fur?"

"For archery club, ma', duh."

"Aye, archery club!" the large man cheered. Merida laughed, wondering if he really knew what was even going on.

In the few moments that Elinor sighed with her face in her hand, Fergus continued. "Go on, Merida, we'll see ye' after school, 'en."

"Thanks dad, by mum!"

"Really, Fergus?"

"Wha'?" he countered, taking a massive chomp of meat and steering away one of his very large dogs with his wooden leg.

* * *

It was sunny, and Fall was rolling in. The leaves weren't changing yet, but the weather was. Merida inhaled deeply through her nose as she arrived at school. All she had to do now was make it through the school day. That's one class, a few times. Then lunch, then repeat. That's just sixty minutes, which is just 30 minutes twice. So, Merida just had to make it through the next ten minutes three times, then repeat twelve times.

She groaned and slumped in her seat.

An eternity later, first period was half over.

 _Oi, maybe this'll be 'arder than I thought_ , she brooded.

But she survived nonetheless, and it was _finally_ time to grab her bow and some _practice_ arrows. She reminded herself several times. Smaller, dull tips. _Still able to kill a man if spot on. But I suppose less deadleh than 'em hunt'n arrows._

She was not the first to arrive. There was Anna, the possibly, just maybe a little crazy one; and to Merida's surprise, Elsa, the girl who has quite feasibly never spoken. Standing tensely next to the (other) red head. Shoulders were up, hands clasped tightly together, and blue eyes trained adamantly to the gravel and sparse grass below.

Adding the last minute addition to the club she'd received not a day ago, they might have enough people now to wriggle their way into some competitions! Merida felt giddy at the thought as she pranced to practice to meet her pupils.

"So ehhh, welcome to ma' field." The Scottish girl spread her arms like wings and gestured at the surrounding nature. To her right a distant tree line stood. Halfway there, 77 yards away, was a target that from here looked to be size of a quarter. There were a few other targets, too; closer ones. Beginner ones. "'s where ay come to do ma' shootin'. And where we'll be practicin'- obviousleh."

Elsa made no response. Anna stood, smiling and nodding. She did, at the very least, appear excited.

"Aye, so we'll go 'head 'n start while we wait for our last to show."

"Who else is joining?"

The first voice other than her own. The Scot prepared to answer. Anna had stepped forward, almost like she was shielding her friend from whatever answer may befall them. Merida considered this for no more than a moment. "Well, his name es-"

"Sorry I'm late."

"Hans! You're here? I mean, you joined archery club? With me!?"

"Of course!" He pridefully strode forth and captured her lips, resting his hands on her hips. She fawned into the kiss.

Elsa choked on her own breath and stepped back in meager retreat.

"So le's begin." The club leader ignored the dovetailed lovebirds and indicated a line of rope laying on the ground. "Tha's where you'll beh' shooten' from."

"Ooh, let's go!" Pig tails swooshed in the air as their owner skipped to the rope.

Merida quickly explained how to shoot a bow, providing a perfect demonstration as well. Bullseye, dead center, on the farthest target. Even with wind, which was peacefully humming through the treetops at the nearest edge of the clearing. The thud of the arrow finding its mark pulsed through the air and a bird flew away.

"Just like tha'," she said, turning proudly to face her class.

"So, lemme get this straight," Anna began. "All we have to do is be you, and we'll hit the target?"

"Aye, tha' about sums it up."

"Gimme gimme!" she snatched the bow from the master archer, who giggled and relinquished it.

So, at least _someone_ else was excited about this. This was going to be fun.

"Aye, hold it just like tha', but use these two fingers, not those ones." Merida moved Anna's hand to the proper position, middle finger and ring finger flanking the arrow on the string. Anna chewed her tongue as she pulled back, struggling to bring the string back to a full draw.

Merida attentively adjusted the other girl's posture for her, squashing the risk of a strain injury and making the draw easier for her.

Hans watched them, she noticed. And after Anna unceremoniously let out a gasp and let her projectile fly off to the side somewhere and repeated the process some number of times, he drew his weapon to tension with much greater ease. Taking aim and failing to exhale as he released, the arrow went zipping through the air. Despite his misplaced pride and his rather poor form, he did manage to land a spot on the closest target.

"Ooh, Hans, you didn't tell me you were such a good shot! Have you done archery before? What am I saying? Of course you have!" Anna hung from his arm.

Elsa attempted to make herself even less quiet than silent already was.

"No no, it's my first time. I guess I'm just kind of a natural at it," Hans said, with a sort of hauteur that grated Marida's nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

"Aye, well, yer form was 'bit stiff, 'n yer breathin' was off. We got some work to do, but we maeh maek an archer of you yet."

Hans made a noise of disapproval. The pro archer could practically hear him thinking _'Why did I join this club again?'_

And at that exact instant, he glanced at the shy, precious Elsa doing her best to blend in to the background, despite wearing her bright blue sweatshirt. His eyes narrowed like a viper's, while hers only stared forlornly at the grass, taking one swaying, longing look at Anna, who was still enamored with her boyfriend.

Merida bit her lip and tongue, allowing her noggin time to process its observations. "An' every'ne 'as to 'ave a go, club rules." She approached Elsa.

The girl stepped back sharply, like a startled, wary kitten meeting a boisterous dog.

"Come on, Elsa! Try it, it's fun! Give it a-" a dramatic pause, for which there was fortunately no drum roll- "shot!" Anna cracked up at her own wit. A light blush and an amused smile broke through Elsa's features, and the tautness of her muscles seemed to dispel slightly.

"I- I don't know…"

"You gotta! Merida said so! Club rules and all!" braids bounced as Anna frolicked to her friend.

Merida simply nodded.

"She's probably embarrassed that she can't even pull the string back," Hans offered.

Kitten-girl wrapped her arms in front of her stomach self-consciously.

"Club rules are also tuh' be nice an' please refrain from insultin' one 'nother."

"I was just trying to be helpful!" Hans defended animatedly.

"It doesn't ma 'er, it's the intent tha' counts."

"I wasn't-"

"It's okay, Hans," his better half butted in. "We know you were just trying to help." Even as she said that, in her head she did her best to rationalize why he'd made the comment he did. He just didn't know Elsa was shy, right? Like, he'd never really spoken to her, so how could he know? It was one blunder, so what? He must have been trying to help out, but in a slightly mis-directed way.

That had to be it. Because Anna couldn't stomach the idea that her dear Hans _wanted_ to offend Elsa, now that they were all friends (well, now that she was friends with both).

"I- I don't think I-" Elsa said, backing away.

And just like that, to aide her friend as well as shift the focus of the situation, Anna sprang to action. "Let me help, it was heavy, I can help hold the bow steady while you draw the string!"

"Aye, maybeh it'd be be'er if I did though," Merida countermanded.

Wide eyed and rosy cheeked, Elsa looked at Anna. Their eyes lingered for a few moments; the pro archer noted.

"Ah- Anna. I'd um, I'd prefer if Anna helped." Elsa was beet red now, and it looked like that sweatshirt trapped all of her embarrassment and cooked her like an oven would.

The other girl mouthed _'She's shy'_ to Merida, and just to double check her conjecture, Merida did steal a glance at Hans. He looked displeased to say the least, mouth in a frown, eyebrows brought down over brown eyes simmering with brimstone below. His petulant glare of rancor was reserved for Elsa and Elsa alone.

 _Jealous much?_ Merida mused as she happily handed the bow to perhaps the most skittish girl she'd met in her lifetime.

Elsa took it, hands shaking. With some difficulty and instruction from her teacher, she latched the arrow onto the string and lined her hands up on the bow. Anna goaded her with simple words of encouragement, such as "that's it," and "you got this!" Elsa raised the bow abreast and with one last nervous glace at Hans, attempted to draw the string. It wiggled a few inches, and Elsa squeaked in mighty effort, but to no avail. Before Anna could get her friend to give it another go, Hans piped up his big fat mouth.

"She's just too weak guys. Maybe it'd be better to find a more suitable club, Elsa?" The latter half of his statement was shot directly at his nemesis. He, insultingly, spoke as if she was no more than a mere child.

 _He means that in the best way, right?_ Anna bit her lip.

"Ah," Merida groaned. On the one hand, Hans was an ass. No two ways about it, no judgement call there. She'd known who he was before this, but never spoken to him or bothered to pay attention to his life, because why would she?

On the other hand, if she kicked him out now, she'd be ruining any chances the club had of competing in any competitions. She scrunched her nose to one side. Back on that other hand, taking into account the level of skill that Anna and Elsa had shown, they were going to no competitions anyway.

She then realized that everyone was expectantly staring at her.

"Nae, Hans, I think you should probably find another club. You can't go 'round talkin' to club members tha' way."

"What do you mean? I was just trying to help!"

"Nae, ya weren't. So if you don't want to change yer attitude-"

"I guess I just won't try to help anyone anymore." Hans crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"Yeh can help people, yeh just can't be 'n ass," Merida parried.

The man sighed. "Anna, can you talk some sense in to her?"

Anna looked woefully uncomfortable from being thrown into the center of a spat she was trying to imagine away. "I- we- you-" she looked at Elsa, who was, surprise surprise, looking at the floor. "Maybe we should just… let Elsa learn at her own pace. I mean, I really didn't do any better than her, and that's kinda what we're here for, so…" A freckled button nose scrunched to one side.

"Darling, are you seriously taking her side over mine!? At least you were able to shoot the arrow!"

"See tha's wha' ay mean."

"So now just talking gets me in trouble, huh?"

"Now yer bein' childish."

"I am not! You're trying to kick me out of the club for nothing!"

"Nae, ay was kickin' ye out because yer bein' rude to other members, and ay was willing to give yeh a second chance."

"Anna- can you actually believe this?!"

"I think," the strawberry blonde took ample time finishing her thought, chewing her lower right lip. "I think maybe taking a short time out wouldn't be such a bad thing."

"So you're _actually_ siding with _them_?" As if they were cockroaches.

"I'm not _siding_ with anyone, it's just- "Anna put her hand on Elsa's shoulder "-we're already stepping out of our comfort zone, so give us some time to be more comfortable?"

Hans looked at the hand, displeased. "Elsa's _never_ going to be comfortable."

"I- I- I should go," the girl barely mumbled.

"Nae, Hans'll go."

"I don't want him- to- for him to have- just- just because of me."

"He's nae going because of you," Merida deadpanned, glaring at Hans like they were in the middle of a western duel, ready to draw and fire. "He's goin' 'cause he's nae gonna stop actin' like a child."

It took a moment for Elsa to understand what Merida meant, and when she did, she made sure that no one else understood that she understood. Especially not _Hans._

After absorbing the scene, he burst. "You know what? Fine! Be that way! Attack me for just wanting to help! I tried to put our differences aside, but not even that was good enough! Is anything good enough for you, Anna!? Maybe you should just spend some more time with your new little girlfriend over there until she's not good enough for you, either!"

Elsa, in the most adorable display of fear, curled into Anna's side.

 _And there it goes,_ Merida thought to herself.

"Oh, Hans, you know-"

"Whatever, Anna. I hope you're happy." Having blown the field to smithereens with his jealousy bomb, the boy stormed off.

"Hans!" At a loss, she looked at her friend. The revving of an engine and crunching of tires sliding along gravel echoed in the clearing. "Come on, Elsa! Let's shoot some stuff!" Anna snapped more harshly than she intended.

The blonde happily obeyed, secretly feeling triumphant. She wondered if that was selfish. But they focused on practice. Anna assisted Elsa in drawing the string, standing behind and so close that she might as well have been hugging her from behind. Elsa reveled in the contact, especially the moments when Anna's petite breasts brushed against her body.

They fired arrows astray into the field, and with Merida's adept instruction, their shots began to tend towards the target, rather than towards no man's land. It was, all in all, a great afternoon, and Anna's mood bled from withheld anger to giggles and jokes. Dispositions improved, the air between the three girls became casual and easy to breathe, even for Elsa. Merida was quite the goofball when having fun!

When their arms ached from pulling the heavy string, it was time to call it quits for the week. Merida stayed to shoot some more, and Anna excitedly, with exhaustion making her breaths heavy, suggested that her and Elsa get some ice cream for a job well done.

Elsa basked in the feeling of having someone other than her parents (especially Anna) driving her around. She listened to the pop radio station her crush had on while watching her dance along in the driver's seat. Before long, they were at the parlor with dessert at their table and chocolate sauce painting Anna's lips. The air was sweet and cool, cozying them in their booth. They hummed in unison when trying the first bite of their respective treats and broke into a fit of giggles after a duet of "mmm, chocolate."

They chatted and laughed (well, Anna did most of the talking), and by the end of the evening, Anna confided deeply in Elsa about some of her flowering anxieties. It brought them measurably closer together, but at the same time, pushed their hearts that much farther away.


	7. Vicariously, I

_A/N: Updated chapter because I wasn't happy with the old one :)_

* * *

Rapunzel just sat there and doodled while Elsa read. She seemed blissfully unaware of how uncomfortable the silence was.

Elsa shifted in her spot.

And then again.

She must've read that last paragraph three times. And she still didn't know what it said.

She looked at Rapunzel, who was laying on her stomach in the bed, swinging her feet in the air behind her.

So this was it. This is what hanging out with friends was like?

Elsa bit her lip and adjusted her posture once more.

That's right, "hanging out". Elsa had been at home when she got a text from a number she did not have in her phone (which means it could be anyone on God's green Earth except either of her parents or Anna). _"Hey, it's Rapunzel, I got your number from Anna. Hope that's not too creepy!"_ it had read. Then, somehow, Rapunzel had invited herself over.

So now here they were, in Elsa's room, doing what they'd normally have done in the comfort of their very separate homes, but right next to each other.

Not that the company was completely unwelcome. On the contrary, Elsa liked the feeling of not being entirely alone, isolated.

She realized she was staring and looked quickly away.

"So, what's wrong?"

"Wha- why- I- no nuh- nothing's wrong!"

"Really?" Rapunzel was skeptical. "because you're acting like something's wrong."

"Sorry- I mean- I'm acting normal!"

"Pfft, definitely _not_ normal. Way, _way_ too quiet."

"Hey! That's just how I am!"

"Hmm," the other girl murmured, going back to her scribbling. Elsa opened her book back up, found her spot, and- "so what's on your-?"

"Anna!" Elsa blurted before she had the fortune of catching her tongue. Conflagration of the face. That was a feeling, right? She stuck her burning nose back into the paperback, wary of the paper catching aflame as well. A walking fire hazard. And a walking stupidity hazard. It was a really strange, indescribable feeling, how desperately Elsa wanted to vanish into thin air. Or for Rapunzel to leave. The awkward would go away then, and she wouldn't have to keep tasting it.

"Well duh," Rapunzel said after a decade.

The shy girl's brow furrowed. "What do you mean 'duh'?"

"I mean, everyone and their mother in a one-hundred mile radius knows you like Anna." She spoke playfully.

"How would- wha- wait! I do not!"

Rapunzel didn't roll her eyes. Her glare said it all. Elsa's cheeks burned, even started smelling of charcoal.

"Plus, she's dating Hans, anyway, so even if I _did_ like her, it wouldn't matter!"

"Oh, so _that's_ the problem, not just that you like Anna."

"I didn't say that!" Elsa was becoming flustered, this felt like a bonafide attack at her very being.

"Yeah you did."

"No, I didn't!"

"You said 'I like Anna'."

"I did _not_ say I like Anna!"

She crossed her arms and smirked in victory. "You did now."

"Rapunzel!" Elsa shrieked.

"Present."

With the other girl's exasperated groan at this, the older could tell she pushed a little bit too far there. It was fun, but was it really worth scarring Elsa for life? _Possibly._ "Elsa," she said softly, after about a minute. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone."

They made eye contact. Elsa sniffled, holding back tears. Rapunzel pursed her lips and placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. It was, however, Elsa who spoke first. After a long, shallow exhale of dejected breath. Her words barely came out, Rapunzel almost missed them. "I- I just really thought I had a chance with her."

Especially last night. Ice cream after archery had felt like a micro date to Elsa. It had been just them. Laughing. Warmth, happiness, companionship with _Anna._ Ebullient drabbles and precious shared moments. Then, near the end of the evening, it got serious. Anna talked about her insecurities. She'd confessed that sometimes, she felt like she wasn't enough for Hans, but that she wanted to be.

Elsa's heart ached desperately for Anna. She was there for Anna, in the moment. She took it with grace and affection as the red head confided in her, talked out her issues, even if it hurt. It stung like a bee to hear that Anna planned to be a 'good girlfriend' to Hans, even if she didn't know exactly what that entailed.

She didn't let herself feel those pernicious emotions until she was home, away from her crush. She had been strong for Anna, but left alone to pick up the pieces. It wasn't Anna's fault. She didn't know. She couldn't know. Elsa's infatuation was _not_ her responsibility, and though it seemed for a fleeting afternoon that it _could_ be, Elsa had to accept that it would _not_ be.

"They… had a fight," she summarized, Rapunzel having been waiting patiently.

She nodded. "I'm sorry, Elsa." She patted her shoulder before removing her hand. The platinum blonde wiped a tear from her eye, folding her gaze down, into her own lap.

She just nodded.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, Rapunzel at a loss for what to say. Maybe Elsa had thought about these things enough for today. She smiled. "So whaddyado in your spare time other than read and write in your journal? Is there like a bowling alley in your house or something?"

A tentative giggle broke its sunny ray through the cloud of Elsa's despondency. "No. No I really just play piano."

"Really!?" Emerald eyes went wide. "Can I-"

"Maaiiiiooowww!" Entering with a soft trot, the cat observed the room: a soft, light gray carpet with a dark gray, squishy box excellent for laying on. Elsa was often laying on it. Especially at night. Now there were two people on it. Elsa seemed to like this person, who had gray skin, gray eyes, and gray hair, so Olaf liked this person, too. Rustling of the large sit-box of warmth reverberated on the light gray walls and into his ears. He purred as he continued his march, perfectly content seeing virtually no colors.

 _Oh thank god Olaf._ The chunker of a cat stood on the floor by the bed just looking blankly at the girls. Its head tilted slightly to the side as it locked eyes with the stranger. Rapunzel cocked her head in turn, to which the feline farther rotated its noggin. "What's its deal?"

Choking a laugh down, Elsa explained. "That's Olaf! He wants dinner."

At the mention, purring like a motorboat started up and the four-legged friend made his way over, happily leaping gracelessly onto the bed and losing his footing. He bumped his forehead to Rapunzel's knee and proceeded to plant his booty on her lap, still purring.

"He likes you."

Rapunzel smiled and scratched behind his ear. "I like him too."

"Come on, let's get you some dinner," Elsa said, lifting the hefty cat into the air and carrying him in her arm almost like a child.

The smile on the elder's face remained bemused, but grew slightly mischievous as well. _She sure is oblivious. She's got no clue that Anna's crushing on her._

But that, that was none of Rapunzel's business. Right?


	8. Moments Control

_A/N: Let's face the elephant in the room. It's nice to be back after a very long break from writing. Also, the likelihood of anyone remembering this fic and coming back to it is low, so thank you, really, truly, if you are reading this :) It genuinely means a lot, especially given how inconsistent I've been on this one. I just hope I can provide adequate entertainment for you time, so, please enjoy :)_

* * *

Cliché. That was the first word that came to Elsa's mind. "Winter Ball" the sign read, coming up in a few weeks. One of the most un-original copouts of an idea put forth, the very definition of unoriginal; at this point, a farce. She scoffed at the poster. Of course she never went, for more reasons than one. And she certainly didn't plan on going this time. She ignored her lamenting desires, chiding her overactive imagination.

Anna would certainly be going, wouldn't she?

That was on Monday. And by Tuesday, Elsa was frustrated with herself for even entertaining the idea that she should _maybe,_ just in case, pick an outfit. Because, well, why wouldn't Anna go? The courage to even ask her crush about the subject eluded Elsa. Until later that week, that is.

"Elsa!" Anna waived, jogging to catch up after school. Elsa stood not loitering, but lingering, because some days (when Hans wasn't giving Anna a ride home), Anna would find her just at the maw of the school building. They'd have precious few minutes of delicious interaction, and Elsa would savor every last drop.

Except on Thursdays. Tomorrow they had archery. And Elsa still sucked. But that was beside the point!

"Hi," the blonde smiled, her cheeks already warm. How did Anna make her feel so special just by _existing_?

"What're you doing today?"

"Home-home work?"

"Are you sure?"

Elsa blinked.

"You're definitely not hanging out with your super awesome best friend?" Anna rocked on her feet and made the biggest, sweetest eyes she could muster.

And they were very big, and very sweet, and _very_ green and _very, very_ gorgeous. Elsa silently (or maybe not so silently) cooed to herself. "I'm yeah- I mean no- I mean I don't know!"

"Terrific, let's go!" Anna linked their arms and led forward. Elsa's heart skipped a beat, and though they both wore jackets, she felt the warmth of a lithe body against hers. She tried not to shake, but she did.

Anna paid it no mind.

"All we do it hit each other in this one!" Anna started up the TV and some game system after handing Elsa a controller. They'd opted to be dropped off at the younger girl's home, which Agnarr gladly complied with. Upon entrance, Elsa had received introduction to Anna's aunt, who she only currently new as "auntie", due to the quick informality of the greeting.

"And how do I do that?"

Anna giggled. "Just press this button."

Their fingers brushed; Elsa flushed. She was perched at the foot of her friend's bed. The room was painted spirit green, except for the soft and muted orange trim alone the top foot or so of the wall, and the white ceiling. The bed itself was messy. Lumps of blankets and sheets alike, clearly kicked aside in a predictably limb-shaped pattern. She could still see the imprint of where Anna's head had lain on the pillow the night before.

Not as disorganized was the rest of the room, with only a few miscellaneous items left out. Elsa just tried not to focus on the blue bra hanging halfway out of the hamper.

Elsa's room, in contrast, had a meticulously made bed. Sheets void of any wrinkles, walls and floor so spotless it practically sparkled in the morning sun. It was her space, and she made sure she _controlled_ her space.

But this was nice, especially when Anna clumsily plopped down right beside her with her own controller, shoulders brushing. "Okay, go!"

"Wait what? Which one am I!?"

They played, and Elsa died. And they played, and Elsa died. And they laughed. It was all in good fun, even as their competitive natures grew and began oozing through every pore. As they played, the red head slouched more, and relaxed more. Until eventually, she was entirely laying on her bed, having scooted back to rest her head against, well, the headrest. Leaving Elsa at the foot, an unfortunate physical distance between them.

In one particularly vile example of Anna's competitive nature, she guffawed as she pushed Elsa off the bed to take the win! Elsa squeaked and landed on her bottom with a thud. "Anna!"

The elder got up, back rigid and blood hot. But Anna just kept laughing. Her face now scarlet, all but hiding her freckles as she curled into a ball of jubilee. "You-" panting- "did you just hear yourself!? No way that noise came from a human, and I- I thought _I_ was an alien! Oh my God, Elsa, now I'm truly convinced aliens are real!"

Indignant, Elsa stood. She didn't exactly _want_ to know what shade her face was at the minute, but glancing out the window at the deep, richly colored sky as the sun set below the horizon gave her a pretty good idea.

She didn't exactly enjoy the feeling within her. Anna could tell that much by the look on her face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she continued to giggle even as she spoke.

"I- I should go."

"No, no you shouldn't," Anna sobered slightly, standing, the red from her cheeks in all likelihood simply from laughing for so long. "I'm sorry," she repeated, still with mirth in her voice and on her face. She threw her arms around the older girl.

Elsa's eyes popped wide open, her heart thudding in her chest so aggressively that Anna felt it. Anna simply rested her chin on Elsa's inviting shoulder, and wondered if the heavy beats of her own heart betrayed her as obviously. She new _exactly_ what that flutter inside herself meant. Elsa was slightly cool to the touch, and there was something charming about that. "You're just so adorable," she chuckled the words before she could filter them.

With the endorphins of their hug, Anna's laughing words, and the room spinning around her like a dazed dream, Elsa's self-doubt left her. And, with humility and love, all Elsa had left to do was join in laughing. "What about this alien Anna!?"

"Ooh! You're gonna love this!"

* * *

Hans would much rather be with Anna right now. Instead he sat in a lowly lit room, across from a complete stranger. "So, how's this suppose to work?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, there's no 'supposed to' here. We just talk. Why don't you start by telling me a little bit about why you're here?"

Hans sat silent for many moments. The armchair he sat in was particularly comfortable, an unopened bottle of water at the chairside table. A few snacks were available as well, though he did not feel like eating. The woman across from him sat, legs crossed, patiently. She had mastered the art of sitting in silence without letting it become awkward. It was something about her demeanor, but Hans couldn't place it. "My parents made me."

"How did they do that?"

He glared. "They threatened to take away my car!"

"How'd that make you feel?"

"Angry," he jabbed, curtly. No longer did he meet her eyes. Rather, the cast his gaze to her black shoes.

"It can be stressful, when someone else seems to have so much control over your life."

Taken by surprise, he looked up. Agreement was the last thing he'd be expecting. His parents certainly hadn't agreed with him. Anna seemed to be agreeing with him less and less lately. _Life_ just seemed less agreeable as of late. "Yeah," he muttered.

"Maybe we should talk about that," she directed. "Tell me a little bit about yourself. What's going on in your life?"

Hans nodded, again meeting her concerned eyes. He took a deep breath and shifted in his seat, as if physical comfort would help.

* * *

"I guess it's pretty silly now that I say it out loud," Anna said with a smile in her voice. "But, like, it was the whole first day of school, for some reason my brain was so fascinated by aliens. Maybe I have an unknown passion for U.F.O. hunting, maybe I was once abducted as a kid, or-or saw an alien and the Men in Black erased my memory, and this is my brain trying to remind me! Or maybe my parents were secretly aliens! I mean, it's been a while since I last saw them!" Anna chewed her lip. That hit her a little harder than she was expecting. _Way to bring up such a dark subject, Anderson._

For just a few seconds, there was silence, both girls weighing the words. Elsa then smiled softly. "We can both be aliens."

Anna's breath hitched. "Doo doo doo doo doo doo" she hummed to the X-Files theme.

"Dun dun dun dun," Elsa sang the ascending rhythm.

"I wanna little green guy about three feet high, with seventeen eyes who knows how to fly!" Anna danced as she sang a catchy chorus, wiggling her hips and bosom as she did, Elsa noted.

Bemused, Elsa cocked her head to the side, brows furrowed.

"I want an alien for Christmas, this year!" Anna finished, throwing her arms above head and making a spectacle of the line.

Elsa laughed. "I can't say I've heard that one!" Both girls let the double meaning of the red head's line hang in the air, untouched. Christmas was, after all, only a few weeks away.

"Oh my gosh, you'll love it!" Anna hopped onto her computer.

* * *

It had been a while since Hans had felt happy. Not that Anna didn't make him happy. She did. At least, she did when she listened to him. But there had been this constant sense of dread following him day by day, playing like background music in his head.

But now, walking out of that office, his mind was quieter. At least for that very moment, he had no dreadful backing track in his head. He let his mind draw a blank, such a pleasing feeling. He'd missed it.

He'd take some control back. His car started with a roar. Yes; tomorrow he'd have Anna hang out with him. Tomorrow he'd inform her that they were going to the Winter Ball together. Taking control back, one item at a time. It'd put his mind at ease, lay to rest the jealousy seated within, and provide some catharsis in keeping Anna away from that weird Elsa girl.

* * *

"Why don't you drive yourself to school?" Elsa sat in Anna's passenger seat. The evening sky was dark, pop music playing softly in the background.

"Eh plenty of people to give me rides."

Elsa inhaled to speak, but let it go.

They arrived, and as if parking was its cue, Anna's phone dinged. She picked it up. The glow from the screen made her nose look like the cutest little button Elsa had ever-

"Drat!"

"What!?"

"It's Hans," Anna started, successfully slapping Elsa where it hurts. "He said he has something important to tell me tomorrow after school." She seemed to consider this for a second, dismay washing her features. "I'll have to miss archery tomorrow, I'm so sorry Elsa!"

The older girl felt a pitfall in her gut. Her shoulders, eyebrows, and mouth slouched lazily. "It's- it's okay." _Not really._ But what was she going to do about it? _Nothing. You're going to do nothing._

"But- but Merida is awesome! And she'll be able to really help you out tomorrow, since it'll just be you and her! Not that you're bad- that's not what I'm- well okay you're not great- but- AH! Okay, my point is: there's a bright side. You'll be that much better at shooting than I am next week!" Anna grinned. "And I'll make it up to you! Ooh! Do you think Hans will ask me to the Ball tomorrow!?" The strawberry blonde squeaked. "Should I wear something extra pretty to school tomorrow? Or would that be weird? Does it matter if it's weird? We all already know _I'm_ weird!"

"I've gotta- gotta go."

"Okay, bye Elsa!" Anna quickly reached over, brain no doubt still outpacing itself, and gave her friend a side-hug. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Elsa waited until the car disappeared from her driveway, then let herself sniffle. She settled herself down on her pristine bed, scribbled out some of her day into her diary, and nestled with a book _Embrace Your Weird_. She sighed, and opened her material. Olaf plopped his chubby self down at her side. What a rollercoaster.

Little did she know that Belle was doing just about the same thing, in her own reading nook, with her own brand-new book, and her own problems on her mind. She just needed to find the courage to act. That was all.

* * *

"Awe, I'm sorry to hear that, Elsa. That's not really like Anna." Kristoff contemplated the situation. His eyebrows furrowed and his perfectly hazel eyes unable to focus on one spot. The cafeteria was crowded, so many voices blending together that it just created, one ambient, nonsensical hum. Such a crowd that their table practically felt empty.

Sven just frowned.

Elsa hadn't touched her lunch. Her head hung just a little too low for Kristoff and Sven's liking. She distantly hummed in agreement.

"Well, hey, wanna see some of my newest sculptures?"

The girl shrugged. "I guess."

The blonde boy smiled and whipped out his phone. He swiped through his collection of ice sculptures. Though Elsa gave no criticism, he defensively apologized for how rough around the edges his art was. Literally. His first pieces especially looked like nothing more than abstract chunks. Through the series of pictures, Elsa certainly did notice a steady increase in quality.

Honestly, Kristoff's newest couple sculptures were quite good. He was clearly a natural at working with ice.

"Ooh," the girl hummed at his latest masterpiece, "I like that one." It was a snowflake, perfectly crystalline in structure. All too familiar to her. She idly wondered how he got the lines so flawless.

Kristoff nervously chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess I saw your sweatshirt and liked the design."

Elsa smiled. "It's very cool. I wish I could have seen it in person."

Sven tittered. After mere seconds of arcane silent communication, Kristoff, too, was in a giggle fit. "I'm sorry, we just liked your pun. But yeah, you should've seen it. It was magnificent, almost as tall as me!" He held his arms out for visual effect.

"But it's gone now," she mused. "What makes you so… willing to create such temporary things?"

He shrugged. "What makes you so willing to write songs and not record them?" With a grin. "I just like making them."

For a significant time, Elsa pondered this. She'd always thought of art as permanent (or as close to permanent as possible). Paintings, buildings, sculptures, music. But what was art really for? Did its permanence matter if it served its function? After all, as Kristoff pointed out, Elsa's songs were anything but permanent, lest they be recorded. She contemplated live music. Same underlying idea. When listening to live music, one is forced to live in the moment, to _feel_ the very time that they are living in. Anna came to mind, but Elsa shut that door as quickly as it opened. She'd just finished ruminating on that not fifteen minutes ago, and would prefer not to continue doing so.

The bell rang.

 _Why does everything bring me back to Anna?_

 _Never mind,_ she scolded herself. _Dumb question._

* * *

The resounding, triumphant ring signaling the end of school resounded in Belle's ears. She snatched her things, dropping them haphazardly into her book bag. Determined on the outside, terrified on the inside, she marched. It was here now. The courage was here _now._ She couldn't lose it.

Even as the thought crossed her mind, her bravery began to slip away, like sand through an hourglass. The moment of boldness she experienced attenuated, leaving her stomach feeling progressively hollower. But she was yet to miss a stride. It was now or never. She knew that if she didn't hang on to that fleeting bravery, it may never show its beautiful face again. The tail end was all she needed, anyway. So long as she didn't think, that is.

There her brain went, trying to do just that. _Stop!_ She demanded, dropping her gaze as if to let consciousness slip from her skull.

As she crossed the threshold of the school, she caught Anna giddily getting into her boyfriend's car, but thought nothing of it.

For several moments, she was trailing behind that familiar platinum blonde braid. Elsa was moving slowly, her hair barely swaying as she lazily dragged herself onward. Belle did pay her a passing glance and a moment of concern.

Before she knew it, though, she was approaching Adam. She called his name, before letting herself think about it, but then her mind drew a blank. Her meticulously rehearsed lines forgotten. She stood dumbly, mouth hanging open. He was _gorgeous._ Belle's heart murmured. She was really doing this. Unless she didn't speak. So stunned she was that she didn't even notice Gaston's dismayed face among the passing crowd.

 _Speak!_

"Uhhh…" she drawled, gulping. "Hi."

* * *

The sun set to the melancholy drawls of Elsa's left hand. Her right scarcely took the opportunity to puck ivory, leaving the low, dissonant sound to dominate the room. She'd been hung up in her head all afternoon. Here, now, she let it out. Not with words, not with actions, but simply with sound. The piano a somber extension of her being.

Anna skipping archery practice to see Hans was a harsh reminder that Elsa lived in the real world. Not in her fantasies, not in a fairytale. She was _not_ , no matter how desperately she wished, dating Anna.

Friends, yes. But that left such an insurmountable gap. Such a strong bond, but so much missing. Elsa sadly sighed as she scraped out one last, low, harsh note from the piano; letting it ring in the air, pregnant with the need for a resolving note, but finding none.

Her phone dinged after whatever number of minutes it had been.

It was Anna. Elsa's gut wretched. She read the text.

 _"He asked me to the dance! Elsa! We HAVE to find a dress for me to wear!"_ Followed by a smiley face.

How dryly, humorously funny. The yang to Elsa's yin. Anna's song resolving as Elsa's dripped with untended desire for such resolution.

How funny, she repeated to herself, that happiness can hurt so much.


	9. The Little Things

_A/N: Considering how many deleted scenes this chapter had and how many re-writes, I'm pretty happy with how quickly it came out (especially compared to chapter 8 :P) I hope you are too! Thank you amazing people for continuing to enjoy this fic :) Leave your thoughts below when you're done reading and I'll see you in chapter 10 ;)_

* * *

Little Anna sat in a big room. It was quiet, and everyone was sad. Including her. Especially her. Black coats, bowed heads, and a grey sky beyond the window clouded her mind. Her uncle sat next to her. She'd always liked seeing him, and he always made her laugh. He was funny.

But not right now. Right now, he sat holding back tears. Anna wasn't. Anna was crying, not pretending not to cry. Even as her uncle's hand hugged around her shoulder. Even as she curled into his side, as if to protect her from the bad feelings inside her.

She did not yet have an adequate grasp on abstract concepts. She could hardly understand that tomorrow was a certain amount of time away, let alone the brevity of life and the finality of death. If she couldn't understand how to compute a specific amount of time, then she was hopeless to comprehend, to _believe_ in infinity. Her parents weren't coming home tomorrow. That, she understood. They weren't coming home next week, not next year. That, she struggled to process.

They were _never_ coming back. She knew the words, but just could not wrap her head around their meaning.

She continued sobbing, and Uncle Kai held her tightly. He did not speak, but he stayed strong for her. His godchild.

* * *

Sometimes, Anna brooded on that moment at the reception with Kai. Sometimes she pondered how she felt a couple years later, when she truly started to understand things that one could not see, but only think about.

Sometimes she wondered if that was why she was so afraid of the nature of existence: fleeting. Nothing lasts forever. Everything changes, has changed, will change. And there's nothing she can do about it. She hasn't the control of a god, to manipulate time into stagnation and fend off the end of a moment forever. She can't make someone live forever, a friendship last forever, or even make herself stay the same forever.

As much as she wanted to, she had no control over these things. And that was the hardest and scariest part of life.

She seized the moment she was in, looking at Kai as he grabbed some celery sticks and peanut butter for a snack. He _was_ thinning out a little bit. "I love you" she proudly proclaimed as she passed through the kitchen on her way out the door. "I'll be back tonight."

Turning to wave, and with a couple inches of vegetable in his mouth, he garbled "I 'uv 'u, 'oo. Have 'un."

In no time, Anna had picked up Elsa. They got to the mall a little after three in the afternoon. Clouds coated the scenery in a gray tint, rain splattering down upon them. The parking lot was full of cars and shoppers coming and going alike. Saturday afternoons in not the biggest town didn't always leave endless options for getting out of the house. Especially on a rainy, cold, gray day like today.

Anna bit her lip as she parked. "Eh-heh, um, I kinda forgot-"

Elsa smiled and held up an umbrella.

"Yeah, that," the younger exhaled. "I honestly don't know what I'd do without you sometimes."

Shrugging, "today, specifically, you'd be wet."

 _I could be wet with you_. _Wait, what!?_ "Absolutely yes, positively true. Let's go!"

They huddled underneath the umbrella. It was a large umbrella, but Anna honestly could use the warmth. Her coat simply wasn't cutting it, and she _knew_ that Elsa didn't mind their proximity. So, the red head scooted closer after Elsa had set up a physical distance between them. They briskly walked to the entrance.

Okay, so physical warmth wasn't the only reason, Anna admitted.

They wandered the mall. They both knew which stores would have the best dresses, but neither was in a rush. They Lollygagged together. Moseying through the hallways packed with persons, both rushing adults and loitering teens alike. They took in the holiday atmosphere, the gentle waft of evergreen and peppermint from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Candy cane lined sweets shops, the smell of sweet confection. In the atrium of the mall stood a massive, beautifully decorated tree towering above all else. Piercing new heights, laden with red and gold, a bright star shining atop. Fake snow fluffed about, and Elsa hummed along with the jazzy Christmas songs playing.

At the foot of the behemoth evergreen was Santa's village. The jolly man himself sat patiently, a line of children weaving, endlessly waiting to sit on his lap and tell him in confidence what they most wished for that year. Such precious snapshots in time. Parents took photos, capturing the beauty of an instant for eternity. Giving it life beyond memory. Elsa found herself thinking back to Kristoff's ice sculptures.

Anna seemed to dance and twirl along as she pointed out things at stands and storefronts. Elsa paid mind to the flying toys and flashing lights her crush indicated. She made a mental note to write in her journal the video game Anna practically drooled over as they passed a shop. A huge poster advertising the release date and name filling the windows.

Eventually their meandering led them into a clothing shop. They looked at each rack, eyeballing and feeling the material of many different dresses. Anna was so focused that she didn't appear to notice her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth. Elsa found this adorable. The crinkles around her eyes as she meticulously considered all of her options just capping off the effect.

"Ooh, look at this one!" She bounced, pulling out a soft green dress, lighter colored on the body and slightly darker on the skirt, will simple floral patterns tracing the ankle-length hem. Long sleeves looked soft and warm.

Elsa just gulped and nodded.

"I'll take that as a yes," Anna stated smugly, draping the gown over her arm.

Onward they searched for a couple more options. A dress with a black bodice, crocus front-and-center on the chest and a spirit green blouse underneath. Skirt foot length and a rich, thick ginger color. Neither option so far appeared very "Wintery", but as Anna so eloquently put it: "Eh," a scrunch of the nose and a shrug, "I'm gonna be inside all night anyway."

Finally, the younger plucked up a third choice, ready to try them all on. Elsa didn't pay close attention to it, but this one _did_ look warm, and was a soft cerulean. Her favorite color, and if Anna wore _that,_ well, then it'd be her even _favoritest_ color. Elsa lightly blushed at the thought of Anna wearing her color. Even as she thought this, she had her trusty, blue snowflake hoodie.

"C'mon," Anna dragged them to the fitting rooms. Just behind that curtain. Ten feet from Elsa, Anna was undressing. Elsa pinched her knees together lightly. She tried not to look over, eyes surveying for a gap in the curtain, but finding none.

 _Stop. Pervert. Anna would be disgusted. You should be ashamed!_ She clenched her jaw. Elsa averted her gaze for a few minutes between each showing.

The first two dresses looked fantastic on Anna. The older girl certainly found them alluring and complimentary to the silken auburn hair and lightly tanned skin pallet dusted with freckles. Anna was a sight to be seen- she always was- but particularly when she was dressed up. Her eyes popped emerald in complement to both dresses relying heavily on green tones throughout. With the second dress, her hair almost looked like fire.

Like a painting, saturated with larger than life colors, beauty meticulously recreated in the flyaway strands of hair.

Elsa croaked, like a frog, in approval. She gagged at the unattractive noise, but her friend didn't mind in the slightest.

Anna, ever honest with herself, was quite enjoying getting such a rise from Elsa. She wondered if Hans's reaction would be similar. And, if it was, would it make her heart skip a beat like just now? The answer was yes, probably. Hans was _handsome._

But it was the last dress. That one was- was magnificent. Elsa, rendered speechless, let her jaw drop, its weight insurmountable to her distracted mind. In all likelihood, her mouth was turning to a leaky faucet. Her eyes swept over her crush, every flick shocking her heart. Anna. God damn. Her eyes were no longer shining green, but nearly as arctic as Elsa's own. Her freckles popped loudly, and the light hue of the dress seemed to cool the pallor of her skin. _Burning_ was the only way she could describe the feeling within. The outfit was warm, with thick layers all primarily that cerulean color, except a shiny lilac belt and purple patterns outfitted at the hem of the long skirt. This worked alongside Anna's warm hair to tie everything together.

Elsa's mouth twitched. Anna noted. She liked those little butterflies she felt. "Ding ding ding, we have a winner!"

Nodding, "you- yes- you are."

"No, I mean the dress, Elsa."

Fiery red scoured pale cheeks. "I- I know- that- knew that."

With a wry grin, Anna patted Elsa's stiff shoulder. "We get it, I'm gorgeous." Stiffer yet. "I mean, what else are best friends for, if not to just feed my royal ego?" She curtsied to punctuate her sarcastic tone. "Now," she started backing up, "allow me to don my peasant ward- oof-" she bumped into the wall "-robe."

The elder blinked. She _wanted_ to think about how cute that was. But she wasn't. _Anna knows I think she's pretty? Does she know I like her?_ Elsa was helpless but to face the aggravating fact that she was very transparent about her feelings.

A tad bizarre for her, as she was accustomed to wearing a "mask" as she'd described it in her journal. Sadness, anxiety, stress, feelings of oppressive loneliness, low self-esteem. All this she hid behind a neutral façade. She thought. But how does one go about hiding the blood rushing to their cheeks? The flutter in their heart that momentarily renders conscious efforts worthless? Of course Anna would see her slip ups, the cracks in her mask. How much did Anna know? Why was Anna still even spending time with her if she _knew_ Elsa was a creep? Because, obviously, anyone who knew Elsa had affections for them would think Elsa a weirdo.

Or maybe she was overthinking the whole thing. She tended to do that. Chiding herself, she swallowed the whole spiral of thoughts. She was being ridiculous. _Anna made a passing joke, stop reading into it._ Elsa exhaled. Which surprised her, as she was under the impression that she had been breathing that whole time.

Before long, Anna had paid for the dress and they were on their way. Well, almost. Anna gasped, stopping short of the door. "Elsa! You'd look _amazing_ in this!" She held a rather shiny, bold white dress.

Elsa stuttered something out, but who knows what she said. Anna didn't. It didn't matter. "You're trying it," she said pointedly. She stood straight and stern. It was hard, she forgot to breathe. "No 'ifs, ands, or buts' about it!"

"Oh-ohkay." Hesitance dragged like nails on a chalkboard in the elder's words.

Her world was expanding slowly but surely. And Anna loved it. She was proud of Elsa. A little push here and there couldn't hurt, could it?

Anna sat on her phone for quite a while. Elsa was in the dressing room. Taking her sweet time. But Anna was in no rush (beside the growling in her stomach). Elsa's nervousness was palpable when she went into the changing booth, only truly agreeing once re-assured that no one would see her but Anna.

When the platinum blonde finally did emerge, it was more cinematic than Anna had anticipated. A satin, white dress adorned with icy blue and soothing lilac diamond patterns on the bosom, long sleeves, and a long skirt cut away at the side. Underneath, Elsa wore her jeans, and Anna found herself idly wondering what it'd look like _without_ them.

Her stomach gnawed. The room felt empty and deadly quiet. Just them. Elsa's skin, though cherry red, was so pure. No dusting of freckles visible underneath the blush, but the exposed shoulders and sternum were a sight to behold. The redhead didn't realize that she was chewing her lip so hard until she tasted iron. Those little butterflies in her stomach were being rather rambunctious. That dress. Elsa. Together. The pinnacle of pairing. But _especially_ next to the green holly and red ornaments, Elsa looked… _GAH!_

"You um," she choked, "you should wear that. To the dance." Recovered. "You look different- a good different! A really good different. A great different! Great! You look great, Elsa!" _Okay goofball, let's stop there._

Minutes later, Elsa fronted the line to the register. A cheery woman dressed as an elf greeted her. _Am I really about to do this?_ Buying that dress meant commitment to something she'd never done, nor ever thought she would do. Attendance to the Winter Ball. She choked nervously. Anna liked the dress. Anna wanted her to go.

And that, in and of itself, was enough for Elsa.

* * *

Dinner was just what they needed. The food court was packed shoulder to shoulder, making Elsa feel somewhat ill. Every table was occupied, except for theirs, sat in the corner. Elsa was secretly relieved about this. The crowd was starting to become slightly overwhelming. Here, it felt like she and the object of her affection were more isolated. Speaking of, chomping down on a nontrivial sandwich in voracious bites, Anna was. Elsa watched in a mix of horror and awe, herself politely taking realistic, manageable chunks out of her sandwich.

"You really might be an alien," Elsa quipped.

The younger eyed her friend's plate, one eyebrow raised. Between mouthfuls, she retorted "and you really might be a royal prude."

Elsa smirked and bit her lip. "At least I have the wherewithal to know that no one is going to steal my food from me like an animal in this day and age."

"That's rich, coming from someone who actually _lives_ with an animal."

The fact that Elsa proudly puffed her chest out for affect was not lost on Anna. "Olaf is a cat; cats are civilized, clean, and orderly."

"Cats lick their own butts."

Elsa snorted; Anna giggled. "Point taken."

There was a stretch of silence between them while they ate. Soon enough, they were moving on. The elder was growing weary, walking with a submissive posture. She loved spending time with Anna, but there were a lot of people here and- well, she just felt looming discomfiture. So enervated that she wasn't even paying attention when Anna snapped "left left left left left," grabbed her arm, and pulled her.

"Ow! Hey!"

"Sh!"

"Ann-"

"Zip it!" A warm finger pressed against Elsa's lips to shush them.

Their walking pace was fast. Elsa whispered "what's going on?"

"Bogey, two o'clock."

Sure enough, through the crowd prowled a group of Erik, Ariel, Gaston, and Snow. The people that didn't really get along with Elsa. They both spied on them while skirting around as far as possible. They ducked around, staying low and hidden despite the glances from passersby.

By the time they were in the clear, Elsa was beginning to tremble. "Okay," Anna said, turning, "movie."

Elsa fiddled with her braid. Flipping it around in her fingers. The crowd besieged her.  
"A-actually, Anna?"

"Hm?" The redhead whirled.

"Can we- um- can we g-go?"

Anna looked at her friend. She knew that body language. Those hunched shoulders, that hugging of a luscious braid, the pleading in those big, beautiful eyes. She did want to keep exploring, maybe find a DVD for tonight. There were streaming services, though. "Of course, Elsa."

* * *

On the drive back to Anna's, Elsa was more relaxed.

"So," the younger started, tucking a nervous hair behind her ear. "Have you thought about college at all? I mean, of course you have, you think about everything- well, not everything, just plan everything. Not that that's a bad thing! That's a good thing! I sure could learn a lesson about that from you- not that's- no that's not important. But, have you? Thought about college, that is? Ugh, I mean, what's your plan for college?"

She took a moment to think about the question, her brain working its way quickly through the little ramble. "I um... I would like to go to Harvard or Yale or... something."

"One of them 'fancy' schools," Anna jested. But there was an edge to her voice.

"Yeah," Elsa mused. She didn't really like the feeling that was settling below her stomach. "How um- how about you?"

"Not quite those," she joked. She proceeded to list off a few local schools. Ones that were, at the risk of Elsa sounding snobby, not Ivy Leagues. Not an iota of her looked down upon Anna for her list, to be clear.

"Those are all nice choices."

"I thought so too!" Anna said. "And even better, the school counselor said they were 'realistic' choices." She made air quotes around the word 'realistic.' It wasn't that Anna was a dumb student- far from it. She had fine grades. But that was just the problem. Her grades were just… fine. "And you know, that was kind of rude of her to say, now that I think about it." She pouted. It was cute.

"It was. And for what it's worth, I think you'll be happy no matter where you go." _Without me._

"Thank you." Silence stood still, like a wall, between them.

What to say next eluded Elsa. Something stirred within her. Something uncomfortable. An anxious discomfort throbbing but not overwhelming. A fog over her. Her thoughts picked apart what she was feeling slowly, not fully understanding the fruits of their excavation, but continuing nonetheless. Finally, though still not fully comprehending her emotions, a question formed. Were her and Anna going to keep in touch? They would, certainly. It'd be easy. They had phones!

Elsa put this behind her. She looked at Anna, her heart suddenly burning.

Damn. She really… didn't want to think about this. She squeezed her eyes shut.

Anna noticed Elsa's fidgeting, she knew something was wrong, but now didn't feel like the time to ask. They'd be home soon, and their friends (and Hans) would be arriving for movie night not much later. She made a mental note to revisit this.

* * *

And arrive they did. Rapunzel and Pascal showed, giving both Elsa and Anna a warm greeting. Then came Hans, who stole away Anna, leaving the platinum blonde to find the far seat on the couch. She pulled out her journal. Kristoff and Sven came next, not going out of their way to announce their presence. All within the span of three or four well-paced songs. They filed into the bonus room, where Elsa and Anna had arranged a table of snacks.

Then there was the arduous task of getting seven people to agree on a movie. They tossed around several ideas, some better received than others, and a short list of top contenders formed.

Kristoff, noticing a certain someone had not partaken in the decision, inquired "what do you wanna watch, Elsa?"

Started, "Huh- oh- um... it- it doesn't matter." She trepidly looked at Hans.

"Come on, what're you in the mood for?"

Elsa thought, chewing on her pencil. She was curled up into a ball. Anna thought that it was cute. "Um... a- er- a musical?" It would be nice to have some melodies to focus on. Plus, they were generally lighthearted, a welcome escape.

"A musical," Hans sneered. "Of all the stupid-"

"Ooh! School of Rock!" Rapunzel yelled, jumping up. "And if you wanna be a teacher's pet," she belted, Pascal air guitaring, "well baby you just better forget it!"

Kristoff was quick to input "that sounds great!" Sven nodded excitedly, tongue stickling a little out as he chomped a carrot.

"I don't really want to watch a musical." Mr. Sideburns argued. "Something intense would be more fun."

Pascal shrugged.

Hans looked at Anna, who looked back. "Well?"

Her mouth hung open. Hans stared expectantly; Elsa pretty much sat in the fetal position. Vulnerable. "I like- eheh- how about we um- let's put it up to a vote!" Crisis averted, right? "Everyone who wants to watch School of Rock?"

Five hands went up. Four and a half if you count that Elsa only moved her fingers. But then five again if you also count that Rapunzel actually jumped off the ground when raising hers.

"I'm sorry hon, but" Anna shrugged, "it's pretty unanimous." She gave him a peck on the cheek.

Hans grumbled something about never getting his way. But Anna didn't hear him. He knew Anna didn't hear him, because she was probably just paying attention to what that _stupid, thieving_ Elsa was doing.

Who Anna spent _all day_ with. Nettlesome. Why was Anna even friends with that girl, anyway? He looked upon his target with a sneer. She was so pathetic, even now. Curled up. Weak. Lacking mental fortitude and thus the means to take control of her life. A weed blowing in the wind.

He, on the other hand, had been enlightened enough to learn that governing his life was paramount. Anna was _his_ girlfriend, not hers, he reminded himself. He was powerful, worldly, wealthy. And Anna knew it. That's why she loved _him,_ right? Yes, he goaded, because she could look up to him. She could rely on him. He had the reach to steer the ship of his life and hers. That's why Anna loved him, and that's why she could never really fall for Elsa.

So then why, his little mind asked, did she spend so much time with Elsa? And why did it bother him so much? She had other friends. She spent time with them. Yes it irked Hans, but not as much as when she was with that special little someone.

Because Anna seemed to think about Elsa so much. She talked about her, worried about her, laughed with her, shared memories about her _all the time._ That made him feel second-rate. Unimportant. Plus, Elsa fancied Anna, he was sure of it! The redhead was far out of her league, but Hans still had this figured out, he figured.

The redhead guided him by the hand to one side of the couch, snuggling close. She was warm. The movie started. Hans should have slowed down to appreciate the amazing, tender, giving girl literally at his side. Instead, he festered in his jealousy even as the movie started.

"Hey, I was thinking," he whispered quietly.

Kristoff, sitting between Elsa and Anna on the couch, covertly shifted his focus.

Hans continued. "Last Thursday was really nice."

"Hmm," Anna agreed. Her attention was split, mostly siphoned towards the film.

"We should spend every Thursday together. Kind of like a weekly date-night."

She glanced at him. "That's archery night. Can't we do it Wednesday or Friday?"

"But such a wonderful Thursday with you makes Friday fly by so fast, too."

"That's sweet," she assured, patting his chiseled arm. "But I like archery, and I like having girls' time with Elsa and Merida."

"I just feel like we don't get to spend a lot of time together."

"Hans, this really isn't the time to talk about this. Let's talk later, okay?"

He grumbled. "Okay."

Jack Black said something.

Anna went back to the movie, rubbing his arm in an attempt to calm him down.

Hans glanced over, catching the creeping freak just as she snapped her leering, gluttonous gaze away from _his_ girlfriend. He growled under his breath. Like a tiger sizing up its prey.

It only took a few moments of consideration for Kristoff to conjure an educated guess about what Hans was doing. One of his legs rested upon Sven's shoulder, who sat comfortably on the floor. Kristoff looked over at his rather… overmodest and self-critical friend. Her knees were pulled into her chest. She seemed to at least be enjoying whatever song was on. Anna was huddled into Hans' side as she had been, and Kristoff glimpsed her. Her body language conveyed utter trust in her significant other. Given what he thought Hans might be up to, he was concerned about both of them.

He sat still for a moment, then got up. As he skirted around the couch, he stopped and placed a hand on Elsa's shoulder. She jumped with a little gasp, but calmed when she realized who it was. "Fruit?" He asked, gesturing to the snack table.

She smiled and nodded.

A few moments later, he returned with some carrots and ranch for him, and cubed melon for Elsa. "Thank you," she practically mouthed, and slipped one into her lips.

He nodded, placing his own plate down on Sven's lap.

It's the simple things that let someone know you're there for them.


	10. To Dance with a Friend

_A/N:_ _Hmmm, I hope you enjoy this one! Soon we will have some cutesy Elsanna monents :)_

 _Thank you for you support, it all really means a lot :)_

* * *

Belle felt emboldened. Adam had said yes! She'd really taken a leap outside of her comfort zone, jumping blindly into the darkness, but it paid off. She found footing and stuck the landing. And now she felt like her world was so much more open! So many doors were unlocked and swung agape! She liked her life, but the thought of expanding her horizons, finding new people, and _dancing with Adam_ made her heart beat so fast she thought it might explode. She was restless, hardly able to sleep the previous night. Her mind was alight exploring hundred different pathways.

What dress should she wear? How often would she choke over her words? How late would her and Adam dance? All night? Would they dance slow and close? Romantically in the dimly lit gymnasium? What were his biggest interests? What made him tick? Would they _kiss_?

She shuddered with delight at the thought. What an incredible feeling, even this early in the morning, having just leapt from her bed before school. She grabbed an egg, nearly smashing it on the counter instead of cracking it in the skillet. Distracted.

How else could she get this feeling? She craved more. More adrenaline of running into the unknown. More payoff, more horizons. The egg sizzled, she flipped it. Plop.

Belle grinned. Belle knew what to do!

Ratz! Her egg burned!

No matter, her day was full of opportunities to do things correctly. She trashed that egg and cracked another one.

* * *

On the other hand, Elsa started her own Thursday morning in her journal.

 _"The week marches on. Time marches on, drawing the Ball imminently closer with every dreadful tick of the clock. Every day gives me more time to mull over my decision. I bought a dress. Actually bought a dress, intending to wear it to the Winter Ball. Because Anna liked it._

 _Am I stupid? Lovestruck? Both?_

 _Loneliness is an insidious monster, but so is doubt. Doubt catches you off guard. Doubt creeps up behind you when you thought you were safe. It makes you question your behavior, and by extension, question yourself. What am I doing? I had decided._

 _But doubt asked again. Doubt reminded me of all that can and will go wrong. Doubt reminded me of all that is real and unreal._

 _What's the worst that could happen? I could ask. But Doubt has an answer. It would simply respond with 'well, what's the worst thing you can imagine?'_

 _It's crippling._

 _I know two things:_

 _I want to make Anna happy._

 _I will never make Anna romantically happy._

 _Best friends or not, Doubt speaks up to remind me what will happen at the Ball. Anna will dance with Hans. I will look on, wishing fruitlessly, stupidly, desperately, that Anna was dancing with me instead. Anna will smile when she sees me, we will talk. Laugh. Bond. But her most precious moments, her private, most intimate moments of the night will be shared with Hans and only Hans._

 _I'll be left alone during such times. Alone to pathetically vie after her. Alone in a crowd. A loud, judgmental crowd. A crowd of eyes, on me, judging me. I can practically feel them pitying, hating, tormenting me. Even now it makes my skin crawl._

Elsa chewed on her pencil. Her eyes were watering.

 _So, I suppose I'm left troubled by one question posited by Doubt._

Her hand stopped. Her writing was getting sloppy as she shook. Feeling hollow inside, she did not know if she really wanted to write that question down. Writing it down meant thinking about it. Facing it. Delving into its hostile nature, walking alone in the dark, wooded, cold arena it created while it hunted her like a predator. She exhaled a shaky breath, wiping the now running tears from her eyes.

"Elsa?"

"Dad!" She shrieked, slamming her diary shut and shoving it behind her.

"Didn't mean to startle you. Are you ready? We're going to be late for school, kiddo." He looked at her on her bed, still in her pajamas. That answered his own question.

"I'll be down in a minute."

He nodded and took his leave. She threw on her every-day outfit. Some jeans, a random t-shirt, and her favorite hoodie. After brushing her teeth, she jettisoned out of her door and downstairs. She gave Olaf a quick hug and in return got a mouthful of purrs and fur. Elsa coughed them back up unceremoniously. "Thanks Olaf, love you too."

"By mom, love you," she waved, following her father out the door. He'd prepared her lunch.

On the car ride to school, her father spoke up again. "So, do you want to explain that nice dress you came home with Saturday?"

Elsa grabbed her braid. She looked at her father's aged but kind face. He focused on the road, not prying her with his eyes. "I um," her heart pounded. "I'm going, maybe."

He nodded. "I see. So, who's the lucky girl?" He teased.

"Dad-"

"I can think of one in particular that would be lucky to dance with you."

Her face was bright red. Body flushed. Was it hot in there? It was hot in there. He had the heater on. Duh, it was freezing out. But it was hot in there! "Friends, dad! We're just friends!"

"Mhm," he drawled, but deciding to relent. "Well, in my experience, a dance with a friend is just as enjoyable- if not more- than a dance with anyone else."

"What about mom?" She jabbed.

He tittered. "Your mother is my best friend."

Elsa laughed, but considered that sentiment in the back of her mind for the remainder of the car ride. "So, when you dance with her, do you dance as friends, or…?"

Agnarr rolled his smiling eyes. "Let's say both."

When they rolled up to school, Elsa said goodbye and got out of the car without hesitation. Students poured in like a liquid, but nearby waited Anna, patiently tapping her foot and checking the time on her phone every seven seconds or so. When his daughter joined her, the redhead laced their arms with an ear-to-ear grin. Elsa passively accepted this and walked to Anna's beat.

The man smiled with a swollen heart. He doubted that any parent was ever as proud as he was then. Seeing his daughter grow was- and always had been- his most precious and cherished endeavor.

As for how Elsa was feeling, suffice to say that Hans never showed up to school before first period began, and with Anna around, chattering and laughing, all of her worries seemed miles away. It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small.

Being it Thursday, the rest of the day did not steal Anna away from Elsa. It did, on the other hand, steal Anna away from Hans. As she'd promised, they'd spoken more about their previous conversation.

He seemed dead set on spending every Thursday with her. Fantastic, he wanted to spend more time with her. That, she was okay with. Why Thursday? It irked her. She'd countered, again, with Wednesday, or Friday, then _both._ But he wasn't happy. He wanted Thursday.

Anyway, she was stubborn. That was a good thing, in this instance. _It's always a good thing_. Sorta. She liked to believe so, anyway. It did earn her a compromise with Hans. They'd spend lunch and the afternoon alone a few times a week, any day Hans wished, except Thursday. Anna wanted her girl time. She wanted to shoot a bow and feel like an epic action hero, even as she missed the bullseye.

She wanted to spend time with Elsa. Her heart fluttered. She caught herself chewing on her lip. "Heh," she chuckled. "Do I always chew on my lip when I think?"

"Yes," Kristoff deadpanned.

Elsa nodded and shrugged.

"Thought-nibble." She smiled.

Kristoff furrowed his brows. "Okay then?"

The older girl covered a toothy laugh, it was adorable.

Anna caught herself having a second wee thought-nibble. She made a mental note to pay attention to whether or not Elsa uses the trusty old thought-nibble technique. Because if she did, Omigod, it would be adorable. Or, Anna could see in a low light, a certain racy intent behind it such an action. Elsa, stepping forward with purpose, contoured with a heavy candle light glow and-

 _Okay, stop right there, tiger._ She replaced the sultry image of Elsa in her mind with one of Hans. Her mind had escaped her, but she had it back. _Mostly._

In any case, she squeezed her knees slightly closer together, as if to snuff that little murmur below her stomach.

That, if anything, was proof that she wasn't an alien, but instead, decidedly human. _Unless aliens have the same, er,_ methods _as us!_ So really, that's no proof against Anna's alien theory! _Darn!_

They finished their lunch chatting and chomping.

After school was archery, which they enjoyed until their fingers went numb from the cold and the horizon billowed a magnificent red and purple. Well, actually, Elsa didn't seem bothered by the cold. But it was getting bone-chattering outside, evidenced by Anna shivering and rubbing her arms for warmth.

Elsa looked down at her hoodie, then to Anna's outfit. The younger wore a jacket, but not a very functional one. She looked _cold._ Elsa didn't feel all that cold. She bit her lip in thought. The red head missed this (along with every arrow she'd fired that day) due to her complete attention on not freezing to solid ice.

 _Okay, stop being a drama queen, Anna,_ she ordered was closing in on the first day of Winter, one could expect as much from the nighttime breeze. _Think warm thoughts._ Fire. Ouch, too hot! Saunas. _Ooh! We should go to a sauna!_ Did saunas exist anymore? Of course they did! She furrowed her brows. But did they exist in Arendelle? Less of course they did. Probably. She'd have to look that up. That'd be a fun, steamy place for her and Elsa- er- her and _Hans_ to go!

What else was warm? Hans' hugs. She smiled. _And Elsa's._ She looked at her friend, but did _not_ see what she was expecting. Platinum blonde braid bouncing back and forth, somehow elegantly, now sporting just a dark blue, long sleeve t-shirt, the girl approached Anna. She had a shy smile and rich blush, not meeting teal eyes.

And handed her the hoodie.

Anna almost lost her sense of balance she was so stunned.

She'd only seen Elsa not wearing that stinkin' hoodie a couple times. One time being in that white dress that she was going to wear to the dance and made her look- UGH- fantastic! Tracing the girl's slender, perfectly voluptuous hourglass figure, and then the concerned but self-conscious look on Elsa's face, Anna's smiled broadened. Suddenly, she did not feel all that cold.

Donning the offering nonetheless, head first finding an arm-hole and girl flailing about like a tube-man to course correct, Anna cooed "Awe! Thank you, Elsa!" Was her face red like the center of a fire? Because she felt like she alone would be a sufficient heat source to start that sauna right now. But a warm hug with her best friend just felt even _better_ now, complete with a soft "you're so sweet" as she wrapped her arms around her. Elsa, previously buckram, melted and relaxed at the utterance.

Anna hardly noticed how little she had thought about her boyfriend that day. Probably, she reasoned, because she was still a little sour with him for how childishly he handled their conversation. She'd forgive him, though. _Everyone has their flaws._ She idly rubbed Elsa's back. If the other girl was, indeed, a feline, she'd have been purring something fierce. Instead, she focused on squelching the little flame in her stomach, which was steaming her heart. Anna smelled nice, even after all day.

Merida just rolled her eyes, effortlessly putting the 8th arrow in a row into the same bullseye. _Gross. Bein' single's where es at._ She took aim at the farthest (and by design smallest) target. The tops of the trees to the east of her clearing indicated an oncoming gust of wind. She corrected her trajectory, angling the bow slightly into the breeze, and let loose. SLAM! The arrow found the pupil of its mark.

* * *

Friday _did_ steal Anna away from Elsa.

Belle made her way to her own usual lunch spot. The smell of book binding and her meal mingled and frolicked in her nose, manifesting with a smile on her face. The relatively empty library maintained its silent rapport without even the sharp "shh!" of a librarian.

No one but her wanted to be in such a place on Friday of all days.

Well, no one except her and Elsa, it seemed. The platinum blonde sat obscured away in the corner of oblivion, hair just poking through between a labyrinth of bookshelves and tables. Luckily, she was the minotaur to the library's proverbial labyrinth. She'd consumed much of its offerings of printed knowledge and lonely accompaniment. With a deep breath, she glided through the corridors. Now was her chance, she hadn't seen head nor tail of Elsa since mid-last week. Time to continue to broaden her horizons.

Before she knew it, she was standing before the journaling girl. "Hi," she confidently greeted.

Bewildered, Elsa looked up in fear. Most often, people outside of her friend group spoke to her for one reason and one reason only. And that reason was decidedly less than pleasant. Nae, Elsa went so far as to consider the reason insidious and downright hurtful. But that terror subsided to confusion when she saw who it was. That brown-haired girl who'd gotten Gaston to give her textbook back. Still, Elsa was stiff and nervous. "Um…" she spoke unnaturally. "Hi?"

"I'm Belle. Last time we met we didn't quite get a proper introduction." She smiled sweetly.

 _What's her angle?_ Elsa frowned at herself. _Why do I assume she has an ulterior motive? She helped me and asked nothing of me before._ Now brows furrowed. Was Belle coming to collect a favor? Elsa's heart sank. Or, was she just… friendly? Like Anna.

Belle, it seemed, could sense Elsa's growing discomfiture. "I just thought it'd be nice to say hi, especially since I've noticed you seem to enjoy the solitude of the library as much as I do." She looked around.

"Um, hi. I'm Elsa."

"May I read with you, Elsa?"

She considered the newcomer for a moment. Eventually, she affirmed with a motion of her head. The remainder of lunch would likely be more… uncomfortable than she had planned. Or just as off-putting in a different way? Would the disquieted feelings stack like blocks? Would they shift from one to another? One thing was for sure, Elsa's train of thought had derailed.

That was okay. She looked back down to what she had been writing.

Stacked. They stacked. The feelings, that is. Just like blocks. If those blocks were not, in fact, blocks, but instead nebulous units of negative emotions. She pursed her lips and put away her journal. Now was a good time to read about someone else's problems. Someone fictional. Not her. She'd maybe come back to her own issues later.

On the bright side, Belle did not seem to mind the silence.

* * *

The day dredged on, the ever-increasing banners and background chatter about the dance taunting Elsa. How fun it was going to be, who was going with who. Reminders that Elsa was going alone.

Just to appease Anna.

A dance with her best friend.

Damn, why didn't that make her feel better?

Or did it?

Maybe. Who knows. She didn't. She couldn't really even tell what she was feeling at all. Like, everything just wriggling around in her like an amorphous blob, constantly at odds with itself. So many thoughts flew through her head and none could land.

She stood, in her closet, afore a full-length mirror. The dance wasn't for a week, but she did need to try on her now properly tailored outfit. She wore her new, stunning white dress, full makeup. Her cheeks were lightly dusted pink. She'd opted to soften her normally royal, purple eye shadow with a softer tone layered with just a hint of magenta. Volumous, proud eyelashes and expertly done eyeliner made her steely blue eyes appear even larger. Her hair hung over her shoulder in its signature braid, fluffed and light as ever.

She was, as a matter of fact, gorgeous in that moment.

But Elsa didn't see that. No. All Elsa saw was the girl so desperate for human emotion that she'd bought a dress just to play third wheel. The shy girl, so out of her element that she was off the periodic table entirely. The loser, trying to be somebody.

The failure, already feeling the crowd surrounding her. Already short of breath, drowning in anxiety. Already overwhelmed.

And the dance wasn't for a week.

She hung her head low. _I don't think I can do it._

That night was long, sour melancholy fattening the already saturated air. The unwelcome visitor lingered, no matter how many times she told it to go away. She discarded the dress, hid in an old t-shirt. It's worn out form seemed to match her better right now, anyway.

She checked her phone, disappointed to still not have heard from Anna. It'd been a full twenty-four hours since they interacted.

 _Wow,_ Elsa winced at herself, _you sound extra pathetic right now. One order of lonely with an extra serving of desperate, please._ She closed here eyes. It burned a little. The room was eerily quiet. She didn't like it. Or maybe she just didn't like it in her head.

Thoughts were a lot. She didn't know how to word what she was thinking, she was just _feeling_ and couldn't stop it! So, she went downstairs to unwind the foggy tangle inside her mind in the only way she knew how to right now.

Several emotionally jarring moments later, Idunn paused and listened before passing the threshold to the piano room, situated downstairs, to the side of their home's foyer. Celeritous notes echoed sadly from the maw of the room. At uneven intervals, masterfully creating a leading melody that would consistently change- only slightly- and thus give the listener (namely her) a growing sense of discomfort. One bar would see the melody resolving into a minor note, leaving in its wake the sinking feeling of being far from home. The next cycle would see a break from the formula, the flourish of notes at the end of this passage transitioning to the off-beat, juxtaposing itself with expectation and leaving itself out to dry with no resolving note.

This sample was enough for her to read her daughter's feelings. She nodded, recognizing what Elsa was saying with her music, and walked into the piano room.

The music stopped. Blue eyes met hers. Elsa smiled distantly, and her mother took a seat on the bench next to her. "Do you want to play together?"

She nodded. Idunn considered the keys for a moment, laying her left hand down. She started a low, bluesy walk. Elsa raised an eyebrow at her. With a smirk, she improvised a right-hand flutter, in rag-time, with a purposefully off-key note to bring some tension before the perfect finale.

The four-handed spar continued between the two, jabbing back and forth with new spur of the moment sections, challenging one another to adapt and keep up. They both smiled and giggled at one another as their dexterous fingers danced in unison across familiar, and now warm, ivory.

When silence fell, Elsa sat back and looked up at her parent. Her eyes were no longer so burdened with the previous troubles meddling about behind them. Instead, their blue seemed bright, as if itself was beaming at the woman. And Elsa's shoulders were no longer slumped, laden with the burden of her heavy thoughts. "Thanks, mom," she confided genuinely.

The woman simply smiled warmly and put her arm around her child. Elsa subconsciously leaned into the embrace, snuggling her head into the side of her matriarch.


	11. A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

_A/N: I am very, very proud to present: "A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words." Enjoy :D_

* * *

Anna gazed into those 'dreamy' colored eyes. _Wait._ Pretty eyes? Hazel eyes? Brown eyes? She scrunched her nose to one side. Pretty eyes. He had pretty brown eyes. When they'd first met, they were _definitely_ the color 'dreamy', and had sapped her into a fuzzy, funny day-dreamy dazed state of being. Was Hans an elaborate drug? That didn't make sense. People weren't drugs.

Anyway, that all was beside the point. His eyes were pretty and brown now. She was probably just used to them, right? _Yeah. That's normal._ It at least sounded normal to her. She smiled. _You know whose eyes are_ really _dreamy? Elsa's._ Should she text Elsa? They hadn't spoken that day. A bird landed on the hood of Hans' stead, which they sat in while eating lunch, with a soft thump. A momentary flash of red until it flew away and was out of sight, out of mind.

She should probably text Elsa.

 _Stop! You're with Hans right now._ Hans, her boyfriend. Hans, who had been so nice today! Hans, of dreamy, pretty, brown eyes. Hans, who was talking.

 _Wait, what!?_ She snapped herself out of it, blinking. "ehem," she cleared her throat, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said," he patiently rephrased, "I can't wait to see you in your dress. I'll bet you'll be stunning."

"Am I not already stunning?" She flipped her hair with mock pride.

Hans chuckled, shaking his head lightly from side to side. "How did I ever get so lucky?" When he looked up, his expression was so sickeningly sweet that Anna could almost _smell_ it.

She shrugged. "I think what really did me in was you hitting me with the butt end of your car." In that moment, his mannerisms and expression didn't make her heart go _THUMP-THUMP,_ just a more cordial _pat-pat._

Playfully, he rolled his eyes and sat back. "You're never going to let me live that one down, are you?"

"Mm-mm," she denied proudly.

Hans fed his eyes on Anna's bosom. She wore a jacket- a green hoodie- and jeans. Nothing complex. Nothing that oozed sexy, or even hinted at her inner vixen. He licked his lips, as if to taste his imagination. They'd traveled no farther than first base thus far. _Barely even that._ Quick smooches, sometimes lingering for a few seconds, but never fanning the flames past and ember. He was no base, primal, impulsive animal, though. Control was his undertaking as of late. Simply put; however, he had to accept that some things were just out of his control. That being said, he _did_ want longer kisses, at least.

If one thing led to another, all the better. Right or wrong, he felt he deserved more than chaste pecks on the lips. "It'll be so nice to spend all evening dancing together, just you and I."

"Yeah, just you and me, and me and you, and no one else. Nope, not one." The girl had been tactfully avoiding the subject of Elsa all day, and for good reason. It always made his mood worse. Even just the passing breeze howling through the trees sounding like Elsa's name was enough to spell debauchery for his mood. She felt like she was walking a tight rope. Their unspoken rule about not talking about a certain someone damaged Anna's disposition. As she leaned to one side to ensure her boyfriend's happiness and peace of mind, so she began falling, losing her footing, and with it, her own piece of mind.

Anna sighed. Elsa _was_ going to the dance. _At your request._ Had she not asked, Elsa wouldn't have tried that dress on. Anna wouldn't have been enraptured into such a request of her friend, and Elsa would not be planning to go. That would make the whole situation much simpler. Then, it would be just her and Hans, and he would be happy!

 _But I_ want _Elsa to go. That will make_ me _happy. Isn't that just as important?_

Would Elsa be happy?

 _I can make her happy while she's at the dance_ , the red head reasoned. Unholy rancor struck her stomach with its disease. _Then Hans won't be happy._ Her heart felt like a rubber band stretched just a little too thin. Her stomach wished she hadn't eaten so much.

 _And I wish I wasn't stuck on this tight rope._ She intentionally glossed over the fact that she was the one to put herself in such a pickle because she'd prefer not to dwell on that just now.

She should tell Hans.

No, she shouldn't, it would make him mad.

Yes, she should, she needs to be honest with him. Then maybe he can mentally prepare. _I'm going to have to spend plenty of time with Elsa that night, so she doesn't feel left out or overwhelmed or anything._ She smiled and rephrased in her mind. _I'm going to_ get _to spend plenty of time with her._ Maybe even a few dances. Her heart skipped a beat.

She came to a conclusion: yes, they were all important. _Stupid brain._ She took a deep breath. "Hans," she said, less confidently than she had hoped.

"Yes?" He had been wondering where her recent body language was coming from.

Sitting up and taking a deep, shaky breath to sooth her jittery nerves, she continued. "I'm going to tell you something, and you have to promise not to get mad. Or angry. Or mean. Or anything."

He narrowed his eyes, fearing the worst and measuring his tone. He couldn't really make that promise. "Okay," he agreed with no intention of upholding the bargain.

"Okay," she breathed easier. _I'm ready,_ she nodded to herself, _let's do this._ "Elsa is coming to the dance." The words came out quick and stiff. Then she saw his face. "As my friend!" She held her breath to stop her mouth from blabbering any more. She'd just make it worse.

There was a myriad of things that Hans wanted to say. He snuffed the impulse out and discarded its useless carcass. _Maintain control._ The next move would require cunning to twist to his advantage. Some options presented themselves, and he played through their effects like a mental game of chess. _Aren't I enough for you?_ He'd used that one before, but it was always affective. Make Anna feel bad for something, so she recants it. Anna would feel horrible, yes. She'd almost certainly tell Elsa she changed her mind and ask Elsa to stay home. Which, knowing that stupid little girl, she would. Mission accomplished, sort of. The only issue was the focus of this one. It placed the spotlight on him, and if used too much, he postulated that it could foster the growth of thorny resentment.

 _As long as you don't dance with her._ A simple 'compromise' placing him on top. That is, if Anna agreed to it. His best guess at her response would be something about wanting to have fun with her best friend. He scowled. 'Best friend' was becoming a very annoying phrase. In turn, he would have no reasonable response, and a repeat of their last argument would ensue. Anna would see through his shields of, in this case, poor logic, and become frustrated with him afresh. Again, this option blasted cannon fodder unto his relationship.

"Does she even want to go?" He finally settled on.

This seemed to give her pause. "I- uh- yes, she does." Chin high. It expresses confidence. Certainty where there is none. Glorious fib, servicing not one, but two souls in this case.

He shrugged with a placid grin. Anna was not privy to the true meaning of the smile, so she took it well. "As long as she _wants_ to go, okay."

Anna nodded, just once. "Okay." _Phew!_ Punctuated by the lunch bell. What poetic, dramatic timing! Absolutely incredible!

Meanwhile, in the school building, Kristoff and Sven peered with worry. Elsa walked away, moping. On to her next class. Her head was sunken, eyes as down as her spirits had been that day. Extra quiet, which they hadn't realized was actually possible, is what she'd been that day. More like she used to be. Less like she normally was now. He sighed, not knowing what exactly to do, only knowing that he had to help prepare his friend for the worst.

* * *

Elsa had barely made it through the door at home when her phone _bzzz bzzz'd_ in her pocket. She quickly retrieved it, desperation for any word from- or words with- Anna driving her hands. Her father disappeared around a corner as she stopped walking.

 _Rapunzel._ She hadn't really spoken with Rapunzel in a while. _"I'm coming over today, okay?"_

Olaf meowed and bumped his plump cheek against her shin. She bent over and ruffled the fur on his head, to which he seemingly smiled (or, at least wore that silly little grin that cats so often do) and leaned into the pets. "Hey Olaf," she mumbled.

Did Elsa feel like socializing? Her chest tightened. She was tired from a long day of loneliness. But it _was_ her friend. Then, as she thought, eyebrows creased together, another more dreadful question crossed her mind. _Do I feel like being alone with my feelings?_ She gulped, her stomach feeling as though she'd just eaten stone. Elsa thought back to the night after her and Anna's first archery practice. Rapunzel had been there and, without judgement, helped Elsa process everything. It laxed her with an accompanying, quiet swish of an exhale.

She concluded, as she responded in the affirmative to her friend, that she would like to have a friend (well, not just any given friend) around tonight.

 _Anna would be proud of me_. Her heart swelled. She smiled, both at this thought and another realization: She was proud of _herself._ She refrained of wondering what her crush was doing right then, but did allow herself a stretch of time to wish that she had gotten to at least talk to her that day. Even just a text.

Unwilling to relinquish that sapling of amour-propre, she moved on to her next task. Changing in to something comfy. Well, comfy- _er_. Loungeable. Elsa sighed. Sweatpants. She just wanted to put on sweatpants. In the confines of her own room, she stripped her sweatshirt off and folded it into place. Beneath, hidden away, she wore a soothing green shirt. Invisible, hidden from every person that day except for her. Even if on display, it's significance to her would relish in the confines of her mind, sweet secrecy so cherished in a growing heart.

She blushed into her mirror. Rapunzel would see it. Even she would likely not place its weight.

She bit her lip, recalling Anna's blue undergarment she'd spied just some weeks prior. Green meant _Anna_ to the blonde. A visual manifest of a fiery personality she found herself caught up in. So that blue, one could reason, meant… No. Elsa knew it didn't. Yes, blue was Elsa's favorite color. Indeed, it resided somewhere in the space between sapphire and baby blue. But Elsa knew that green meaning Anna in her mind did _not_ prove that blue meant Elsa in Anna's mind.

Cognizant of logic's dictation, the girl allowed herself some moments to explore the idea in any case. Because it made her feel warm inside. Fuzzy. All the basics, but also spicy below the pit of her stomach. The idea itself presented some degree of intimacy between the two, and this connection managed to draw a rouse from Elsa. She pinched her knees together, already feeling the telltale spiral of her thoughts escaping her.

 _Sweat pants. On. Now._ She ordered herself like a toddler, so as to restrain her brain from additional interpretation. This article was, as a matter of fact, simply grey.

Elsa did not know what she and Rapunzel would do when she arrived, but an answer for such a question became very apparent, very quickly. The blonde- the other blonde- the long haired blonde- the _longer_ haired blonde- had several character traits, loquacity being amongst them.

Upon Rapunzel's arrival, and once Elsa had offered to stir up some hot chocolate (which Rapunzel had readily agreed to), the two had settled in to the living room on a large, well cushioned sofa with two lounging spots. One sectional block- or whatever it was called, Elsa was unsure- separated the two as they sipped and one wove tales. Olaf, seeing his golden opportunity, settled in for a warm nap on the human-sized seat between the girls.

Elsa smiled as she sipped the rich cocoa, paying mind to her friend's story. She spoke animatedly, throwing her arms up and around, looking to the skies, and tossing her feet every which way. It was a genuine miracle that Rapunzel's drink did not spill.

"But oh my gosh, it was insane, Elsa. I mean, come on! The Snuggly Duckling!? Such an unassuming name! Honestly the _last_ thing I thought I'd get to see that night was a full-on brawl- which did land Flynn more than one injury," she considered this for a moment. "But he's fine! Or, he _says_ he's fine." She winked. Elsa giggled.

"He seems… um… adventurous."

The other girl rolled her eyes with a massive grin. "He has his fair share of the adventurous spirit." She clasped her hands together between her knees and rocked back and forth as she reminisced. "But you know, the more I get to know him, the more of a softy I realize he is. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure that Flynn is his real name!"

Elsa furrowed her brows. "What makes you think that?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "Come on, Elsa. _Flynn Ryder_? No one gets to have a name _that_ smooth. Plus," she leaned in, whispering behind her hand to her friend as if to quell prying ears, of which there were demonstrably none. "He can have… sticky fingers sometimes." She blushed. "Not the best of traits, but, eh, no one's perfect, amiright?"

Bemused, Elsa nodded. A laugh threatened to bubble up and out from the back of her throat. But the warm liquid in her mouth was valuable, and she'd prefer not to provide the couch with any stains, at least for now. She was actually quite enjoying herself, learning about Rapunzel's fledgling romance and watching how smitten she'd become simply retracing events. "What other _adventurous_ dates have you been on?" She questioned after swallowing her mouthful of chocolate.

Rapunzel beamed. "Okay, get _this_." She leaned in. The girl spun words like a seamstress spins silk. An inexperienced seamstress, tangling her thread, backtracking, course correcting, sometimes becoming entirely side tracked with a secondary or tertiary project. That is to say, Rapunzel's story was _not_ presented chronologically. Elsa followed; she was pretty sure. The impression she was left with was that they had gone to a cooking class? But it sounded more like they were actually, physically sparring with frying pans? Or something? It was difficult to parse out the details, but the gist remained something to do with frying pans, some kind of competition, and a horse.

As she spoke, Rapunzel would flutter her eyes, or hold her hands over her heart when she mentioned her _… boyfriend_? Flynn. Her cheeks would flush bright pink when she talked about how agile he was- or good at cooking- or horseback riding, possibly. The way she rambled, so lost to the outside world, so carefree about whether or not anyone was actually listening, tongue seizing the opportunity to speak of such a specific person. At times, Elsa wondered if Rapunzel even realized where she was anymore.

And she wondered if that's what she looked like when she talked about Anna. Her heart skipped a beat. Or more terrifyingly, if that's what she looked like when talking _to_ Anna. She pinched her tongue between her teeth and lower lip, heart pounding, chest feeling hot.

"Isn't that just insane!?" Rapunzel concluded with thorough excitement.

"Uhh…" Elsa dragged the noise out for quite a long time. "Yeah," she more questioned than answered. For the first time since her friend arrived, silence stretched its legs out.

Then Elsa's phone rang, saving her from getting lost in the jigsaw puzzle that was Rapunzel's date. She pulled it out of her pocket.

"Is that Anna?"

Confused, somewhat shocked, Elsa snapped her head towards the other. "How- how'd you know?"

"Because," Rapunzel winked with an almost evil smile, "you don't look like _that_ for just anyone."

Elsa tried to shrink into the cushion of her seat, but to no avail. Suddenly, she wished that they'd opted for ice cream, not hot anything. Embarrassment steamed her body candy apple red.

"Yeah! Like that!" Her friend teased.

Using a long, wavering exhale to steady tense vocal cords enough to formulate a word, she breathed "yeah." Then, quickly clarifying. "It's Anna."

"Ooh," she wiggled her eyebrows up and down, leaning intrusively forward to pry her curious gaze towards Elsa's phone. "What'd she say?"

Elsa, leaning away from Rapunzel, whimpered "n-nothing," knowing fully well that she had not even read the text yet. Truth be told, she was a little nervous to read it. Well, more of a volatile mix of nervous and elated. Eager, but with great pause. They didn't mix so well. Probably some- or all- of that was due to Rapunzel, now reading her phone.

 _Wait, what?_

"Hey!" She gasped, shoving Rapunzel away a little harder than she intended. Olaf " _maiowed"_ and hopped off the couch from all the commotion disturbing his sixteen daily hours of beauty sleep. When the other girl only sat upright with a mind-numbingly self-satisfied expression, Elsa finally got around to reading her phone.

" _Are you excited for the Ball?"_

Had the Devil himself needed a lesson in the art of conjuring mischievous grins in that moment, he would look no farther than Rapunzel. Elsa wasn't even sure exactly what roguish mind tricks the girl played on her, but she found herself in agreement, and staunchly against her personal better judgement, that they should _show_ Anna exactly how excited for the dance Elsa was. Worse still, Elsa wasn't even sure that she was _going._ Every thought, plan, idea, image of the dance brought crippling anxiety for a plethora of reasons. Opting not to dwell on it had been her norm, but it was Monday night now, and the dance was but four days away. She had all but changed her mind since buying that stupid dress under Anna's infatuating spell.

And she hadn't told Anna a single bit of this.

 _Because every time you're with her, you_ are _excited for the Ball._ She groaned. Anna wanted Elsa to go, so Elsa wanted to go.

Oh, right.

That did actually sum up Rapunzel's argument quite nicely. Nestled within the classic _"you'll have fun once you're there spending time with Anna!"_ Elsa recounted Rapunzel's words in her head, and a-freaking-nother green-eyed wink, _"plus, you and Anna might even Dance."_ That _still_ had her heart pounding.

Her father's words from days ago complemented Rapunzel's stance. _"a dance with a friend is just as enjoyable- if not more- than a dance with anyone else."_

"And honestly, Elsa," Rapunzel summed up, Elsa finally caught up to her present situation. She laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I think that once you see her there, you'll forget about everybody else. So, I know it's easier said than done, but don't worry about them too much, okay?"

She simply nodded, betraying none of the mental backflips she was so acrobatically performing.

As she led the way up the stairs to her immaculately clean room, she couldn't deny that Rapunzel might just be right.

"Okay, let's see what you're wearing!" She stood, emerald eyes staring expectantly at Elsa, hands on her hips.

Indulging in much needed hesitation, Elsa entered her closet. She produced the dress, handing it gingerly to the other. Rapunzel laid the gown out upon the bed, taking in its full length, appearance, and design. Elsa was, by this time, intimately familiar with the piece of clothing, and noted the older's nod and smile. Rapunzel was willing to hedge a bet here. Anna would not be able to take her eyes off of Elsa in this one. She briefly wondered what the red head would be wearing. _Will they match?_

"Well," she announced, tossing the pricey garment carelessly back to Elsa, who nearly had a heart attack trying to catch it, "let's see it on you."

"Are you sure about this?"

"I've never been more sure about anything in my life."

Elsa found herself alone in her closet. Door shut tight, and locked for privacy's sake. Rapunzel meant well, but Elsa wasn't always confident that her boundaries weren't a little bit… closer than needed at some points. _Now, if Anna was out there…_ Wide eyes, a rush of blood and a thundering beat of the heart. She took a breath in, raising her hands to her chest as she did, subsequently breathing an elongated exhale, during which she lowered her hands back down. As if the movement would silence the cheers of her nerves. Perhaps later she could, for lack of a better term, indulge herself. She'd had quite the imagination lately. Which, come to think of it, happened most often when she hadn't seen her crush for an unusually long period of time. Elsa reflected on this for a little.

She did eventually dress herself and adorn the makeup she planned to use at the dance, just as before. She emerged from her makeshift dressing room into the stage lights of Rapunzel's approval. Several seconds when by why the girl seemed to consider all aspects and merits, similar to a judge. Elsa half expected to see a score card. She didn't want to see her rating though.

"Oh my God, Elsa!" Rapunzel squealed. "You look gorgeous! Anna's gonna love it! You really picked the perfect dress!"

"Actually, Anna picked it out for me." She blushed, fingers finding comfort in twirling the end of her French braid. Her voice was small, mirroring her posture, mind snapping back to the moments they shared in the mall, trying on dresses. Anna's reaction still felt warm and fuzzy to recollect.

 _Click._

"Rapunzel! I wasn't ready!"

"Oh yeah, that's the one." A lopsided grin formed on the elder's face, her phone making little clacking noises as she typed Anna's name. A candid shot. Well, sort of. Half candid. If that was a thing. If it wasn't, it was now.

"No no no no, that's not the one, Rapunzel, I changed my mind!" Elsa frantically begged, lunging forward.

Rapunzel backstepped. "Too late!"

Elsa looked up in abject horror.

"It's done." She showed proof on her phone. An outgoing message sent to the one and only Anna, captioned simply with _"yeah, she's excited."_ A pity. Anna would see that instant captured by Rapunzel's lens. She'd no doubt understand her best friend's expression and find it to be the most precious of things. But she would not, by any mechanism possible, discern that it was _her_ that brought such a moment forth.

Elsa let herself fall face first onto the bed, mumbling into her mattress "this was a bad idea."

"No, it wasn't. It was a great idea."

Elsa groaned, purposefully audible.

* * *

Anna's phone dinged. Finally. It'd been _forever!_ Maybe even longer! It wasn't like Elsa to take so long to text back. Anna didn't like it.

But it's okay! Because she did now! _She was probably just busy. Possessive much?_ She simply enjoyed time with her friend. Her very good, very pretty friend.

 _Stop it. Cease. Read. Focus._ Anna grabbed her phone from the bedside table. She was laying in her bed, head propped up at nearly a ninety-degree angle by the headboard as she focused on her game, which was now paused. Confusion beset her first. It wasn't even Elsa. Her heart dropped just enough for her to notice, and she remained blissfully unaware that the corners of her mouth lowered just a fraction of an inch.

That all reversed and more when she saw _what_ Rapunzel had sent. A picture of Elsa, which was just about the _last_ thing that Anna expected. In the photo, Elsa wore a calming smile built on fancifulness and daydreams. Her cheeks and shoulders were visibly flushed. Unfocused eyes, smitten and ogling not a physical location, but a mere memory. Lithe hands cutely holding on to her braid. She honestly just looked downright adorable, lost in a moment. Anna herself blushed and fostered a wide, dopey smile as she took in every detail. The shading of Elsa's makeup, minutely but markedly different than her usual, her almost impossibly smooth shoulders, subtle bony prominence of her clavicles. Her general aura of downright elation.

Anna chewed her lower lip. The risk of thinking herself some kind of creep was worth saving that picture, so she did.

 _For memories._ It was nice to see her friend so happy, she told herself, very well knowing that half the truth remained shrouded from consideration.

Then, an idea popped like a kernel of popcorn in her head. Man, now she wanted popcorn. _After this!_ She hopped off of her bed, stumbling on her own feet and slamming into the wall. "Oof." Not missing a beat, she shoved herself towards her closet, mouth wide and smiley. As quickly as she could (which was impressively fast and ended in a flurry of clothes thrown about), she put her own dress on. Blue wasn't historically her color, but she was growing fonder of it as time went by. _Gee, wonder why,_ she mused sarcastically while now putting some makeup on. Not much, just enough to accent her natural beauty, and of course eyeliner to make those suckers pop!

When done, she hopped in front of the mirror, grinned from ear to ear in that classic Anna way, and snapped a pic. Reviewing it before sending gave her pause. A finger tapped away at a chin in thought. Anna did notice how absolutely sapphire her eyes looked. Her glancing back and forth and a mischievous gnawing on her lip would betray her impish plan had she any onlookers.

In the privacy of her own room, she flipped her phone's camera to selfie mode. Getting the angle, she then raised her arm, so as to make her picture angled down at her from above and in front of her. Cheeks hot and core admittedly cooking in excitement, she took a second picture. With a flick of the thumb and an innocent little "mhm," she sent it.

To be clear as alpine water over a rocky river bed, the picture was not lewd, nor did Anna consider it to be anything of the sort. It was, however, angled to make her as attractive as possible, without being overtly sexual. No stranger, acquaintance, friend, family member, nor Anna would think twice about it were it posted online for the world to see.

* * *

Elsa had not spoken for about twenty minutes. She now sat upright on her bead, slouched, looking quite defeated. Her anxiety was loud, to say the least. She hadn't bothered to change out of her dress. Then, her phone buzzed and she really, genuinely thought that she was having a heart attack. It was a horrifying experience. Until she saw that it was a picture message from her crush. Before she could think about what she was doing, she opened it.

What she saw made her have an entirely different kind of almost heart attack. _Anna._ Being so… Anna. Her eyes, blue as ever against her pleasingly colored dress, looking up at the camera, her mouth open, pulled into a massive and enthralled looking grin. The freckles dusting her face were rather prominent at this angle, her head taking up a large portion of the shot. From this close, Elsa could see the radiant smoothness of her cheeks, cute dimples accenting their curvature and smile. Hair looking like the autumn sun shining through a tree of reddened leaves brushed mostly to one side, braided. A peculiar few strands of white hair adorably following its auburn mentors.

And her chest. _God_ , from this angle it looked- it looked- well, Elsa couldn't keep her eyes off of it for long. Her breasts were prominent, puffed out and appearing extra voluptuous. Elsa's mouth dried, her breath becoming covertly shallow. Her thoughts from earlier spilled in, seeping through her mind, straight down her body to right where they wanted to be. Just a touch of cleavage showed from this angle, and Elsa wondered how far down those freckles really went.

" _I'm excited too,"_ The message read.

 _Breathe._ She bit her lip, which was full of blood from her flushed body. She would most certainly… _indulge…_ her imagination that evening.

So yes. Elsa was, definitively now, excited for that dance.

* * *

 _A/N: Next stop, the Winter Ball ;)_

 _What'd ya think?_


	12. Clarity in a Friendly Dance

_A/N:_ _I am very proud of this chapter, and can only hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it :)_

* * *

Agnarr slowly rolled the car towards a stop. A minuscule squeak came from heated ceramic dragged across the frictional pads of the vehicle's brakes. Otherwise, silenced splayed itself across their arrival. Students filed in to the school building, the operative differences from normal here being countable by one hand. Firstly, the sun had long since set below the horizon, laying rest upon the bustle of the waking world. Second, the high schoolers were each dressed up. Young men dashing in their suits and ties, young women gorgeous in their dresses. Lastly, and most obvious to everyone present, was the reason behind arrival of each and every soul there. The giant banners, lights, and excited chatter were clear enough reminders that tonight was the much-anticipated Winter Ball.

The one thing that perturbed Agnarr was his daughter's silence, albeit in line with her characteristic demeanor. She'd not spoken a word on the short drive over. Not that they truly needed to talk. They both knew why she was going. He knew well who Elsa was looking forward to seeing, and who she was dressed up for.

He smiled, looking at his daughter as the car finally halted. She wore the white dress, makeup he'd seen her in maybe once before, and had opted for a curveball. Her hair was down, brushed straight, cascading down her shoulders and back like an alabaster waterfall, beautiful and full as ever. She'd settled on this look of her own volition, which must have indicated some new found confidence within herself. At least, it did to Agnarr.

His favorite part, however, was not her dress, hair, makeup, or anything like that. It was her very decision to go. Coupled with an occasionally dopey smile she sported for the majority of the afternoon. The man had only met Anna a handful of times over the last several months, the same went for Rapunzel, and Kristoff he'd only shaken hands with once. He had long since made up his mind; however, that they were each a positive influence in his daughter's life, and it was truly showing now.

Prepared to engage in a quick pep-talk as he so often did when dropping Elsa off, he took a breath in.

To his surprise, she asserted a rushed "bye dad, love you!" suddenly unbuckling, hopping out of the car and jogging forwards. The man laughed and pulled the passenger side door shut (which Elsa had left ajar in her buzz) as Elsa crashed into very familiar arms.

And he knew he didn't need to remind her to have a good time. He drove away, realizing that he forgot exactly what time the dance ended, but confident that Elsa would call him when she was ready to come home. Whether it be before or after the event closed.

Anna giggled. "Well, hey Elsa," she returned the hug. Noticing Hans staring at them stone faced, she cut it short. "Wow! Elsa you look- your hair- I love it- you look stun-beaut-incredible." She involuntarily ran her fingers through the silken locks, marveling at its gentle caress and soft, ambient glow in the moonlight. Suddenly remembering herself- or rather her boyfriend's self- she pulled her hand away sharply. "Ehem," she cleared her throat awkwardly. "Shall we?"

The inside of the gymnasium was an assault on Elsa's senses. Loud, noise blurring the line between music, laughing, and yelling. The lighting was dim, but not low. She looked across the hundreds of people around, acutely aware that more would be showing up. She took a deep breath.

* * *

Elsa spent a majority of the time as a silent observer. She knew it'd happen; she wasn't stupid. _Mostly just pathetic._ She watched from the sidelines as Anna danced with Hans, as they had been for the bulk of the almost hour since arrival. They took breaks, of course, and the endearingly sweet red head took every opportunity to check in with Elsa, asking if she's okay, if she minds if her and Hans go back out to dance more.

The elder's answer was always an affirmation of some sort. Whether it be verbal or a nod, she lied every time. Truth be told, she'd much rather have the accompaniment of Anna. _Duh. You're obsessed._ She hugged herself. She still had the next best thing: watching her crush dance, laugh, smile, trip, and prance around the dance floor.

Ignoring the physical presence of someone directly in one's line of sight was actually quite mentally taxing. Elsa was thus far quite successful, however, with overlooking Hans's presence. She focused on just Anna, and the happiness that she exuded in every motion. Every sweaty pant from the girl lifted Elsa's spirits markedly. She found herself smiling, lost in a little twirl and silly wiggle of some sort that the red head did, all the while beaming. Wearing blue. Wearing Elsa's color. Her cheeks started to tingle.

For a second, their eyes met through the crowd. Then a flock of bodies interrupted the moment, and red hair was back to bouncing to the music. Anna wore her hair in an intricate bun, but it was starting to come loose and look adorably goofy. Elsa chuckled. Her heart felt so swollen, so much like it was going to burn right out of her ribcage and finally escape the confines of her self-control, throwing itself towards its feisty target. "Anna," she whispered, not actually realizing she was speaking out loud at first. It just felt good to say.

"Elsa!", that very girl hollered, skipping back to the sides of the dance floor, panting and wiping sweat from her brow. "Phew, dancing is hard work." Hans arrived shortly after. "I need a break, I'm pooped." She leaned against the wall with an unceremonious _thud_ (earning a wince from each of her compatriots) _,_ the rise and fall of her chest slowing as time went on.

Elsa grinned and, without thinking, leaned against the wall next to Anna, who looked over and smiled. "Did you- did you have a good dance?" she asked lamely, trying not to be aware that Hans was scowling.

" _We_ had a great dance," he interjected, not as out of breath as his companion.

Anna nodded, still grinning. "I only tripped over three people this time!" She held up four fingers, correcting her mistake with a little chortle when she noticed. "Man, I really am tired. Hans, could you please get me some punch?"

The boy evaluated the two, eventually and reluctantly turning. "Sure thing, babe." He did not care to ask if Elsa wanted any.

When he was gone, Anna reached down and squeezed Elsa's hand, the unexpected action sending noticeable jolt through the elder's spine. They made eye contact. Anna's eyes were dark blue in the shadows dwelling along the sides of the dance floor, but kind hearted. "Are you having fun?"

Flashes of Anna's dancing and laughing spied from afar frolicked in Elsa's mind. She smiled warmly at the memory, blushing, and nodding.

She raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Even though all you've done is stand against this wall for the past hour?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Yes, Anna." _Watching you dance will never get old._ Her flush only deepened as her thoughts almost poured from her mouth.

"Hmm," she nodded slowly, peering off into the writhing mass of bodies, lights, and music before them. "So you _don't,_ at all, have _any_ desire to go dance with me to this very fast, upbeat song? Interesting," she mused sarcastically.

Elsa's heart stopped for a second there. "I, um..."

"Would love to?"

"Don't dance."

"Just like you don't shoot a bow?" She quipped. Elsa snorted. Very unladylike. Very adorkable. Anna scrunched her nose in mirth as she took in the sight. _Two very strange peas in an even stranger pod._ Shouldn't she be thinking that about Hans? Speaking of, she could use that punch right now.

"I don't know, Anna." Elsa's voice was lower, less confident. There sure were a lot of people out there. A lot of eyes to judge her. Anna moved to stand before her, placing one hand on each of the girl's shoulders.

"It'll just be you and me," understanding the why behind Elsa's reluctance bred even more patience in an already accommodating smile. "Please?" Then, more jovially, "I love this song."

Elsa took a deep, unsteady breath, hugging herself. "I uh, I don't know how."

Anna slipped one hand into Elsa's and tangled their fingers together. Somehow, Elsa found that this provided more comfort than her previous posture. Already turning to move into the light and music, Anna waved it off "pshh, neither do I!"

Elsa found herself being pulled like a kite towards the dance floor, the carried echoes of "sorry, sorry, excuse me, just gonna get by ya," accented the pounding music and warm bodies. Two of which Elsa was led directly into, much to her embarrassment.

When they found a small opening, the elder stared apprehensively at her crush, the weight of a thousand prying eyes crushing her shoulders. "See, you just kinda… wiggle," explained Anna as she began to carelessly move her body, imperfectly on beat with the music. A light little head bang, shimmy of the shoulders, rocking of the hips, they all absorbed Elsa, a little smile forming.

She found herself giggling as she watched Anna's at times ridiculous leaps and stumbles, and little did Elsa know that her own feet were starting to move.

"Yeah! Like that," Anna beamed, then grabbing each of Elsa's hands in each of her own, swinging them ludicrously to and fro. At one point, the younger girl tried some strange twirl, her hand careening directly into Elsa's cheek with a considerable _SMACK!_

"Ow, hey!" Elsa mostly laughed despite the sting.

Anna unapologetically turned to her. "All's fair in love and _dance_."

Elsa flushed wildly and found herself chewing her lower lip. Anna also felt her face and shoulders heat up, but thankfully there was no possible, fathomable, inkling of a change that the other girl saw it, considering the red head's rapid movement.

She smirked and clasped Elsa's shoulders once again, giving her no time to protest before she forcibly spun the girl around with as much torque as her tired body could muster. "Anna-ow-hey-no-"

The younger cackled. "You're a natural!"

Elsa soon found her sides aching slightly from the sheer amount of giggle fits. Her lungs begged for air, gasping out the last remnants of a final titter as she unsteadily recovered to look at Anna. Elsa must have looked absolutely ridiculous, hair flying everywhere, nearly falling all over the place, laughing _and_ panting. What she found, as she watched incredible Anna before her, was that she simply didn't _care_ if someone was watching them. Her heart beat so fast and swelled so much as her eyes met Anna's grinning ones that she thought she might have to take a time-out.

Hans, on the other hand, had been less than please to return with a cup of punch for each of him and Anna only to find vacancy. He quickly located the girls having fun, dancing, _laughing_ together. He scowled.

Anna's hair was bouncing wildly as she moved, her bun holding on for dear life. She huffed frustratedly mid dance and yanked on it, yelping in pain but severing the last tether of her bun's existence. Messy auburn cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall of glowing flame. Flyaway strands graced her glistening cheek and forehead before she brushed them away. Her currently wavy, somewhat sweaty, unrefined hair had a unique beauty to it that made Elsa's heart skip a beat.

Not long after, the music stopped. "It's time to slowww it dowwwn," announced the DJ, smoothly drawing out his words as the lights dimmed. A relaxed, three count song began to play, many students coupling up upon the broadcast, and several opting to leave the dance floor.

"Eheh," Anna awkwardly chuckled to dissuade any tension, tucking quite a few stray hairs behind her ear and looking away. Her face was cherry red with an intense blush, no doubt physically hot to the touch.

Elsa tried to speak, but the words were caught in her throat. She just stared dumbly, opening and closing her mouth several times, at arm's length from the girl but not touching her. She wasn't entirely sure that her heart _or_ lungs were still functioning, and she fanned her torched face.

Anna looked up at her, a timid but affectionate smile beneath her pink button nose. Her eyes deeply honest, and if Elsa had the wherewithal to analyze the situation, those currently navy eyes would have told her a whole lot about the wonderful little, butterfly inducing feelings that Anna was experiencing. "Uhum, should we- or, uh, do you wanna-"

"May I have this dance?" A velvety voice interrupted, and Anna nearly shrieked in frustration. Hans was bowing to her side, holding is hand forward.

God _DAMMIT!_ He was right to ask, Anna reminded herself. _It's a slow dance. For couples. Hence all the couples. You and Hans are a couple._ People should be dancing with their boyfriends and girlfriends. She glanced at Elsa, who was hugging herself and slowly backing away. She smiled at Sir Pretty Brown Eyes. "Absolutely," she agreed as excitedly as she could.

But she found that she was not thrilled by the aspect of dancing with Hans right now. In contrast, she was _still_ feeling roused from her nearly-dance with Elsa, and continued to feel a little bit of that playful high from the girls' silly, insouciant dances. As she was led to another location on the floor, she peered over at Elsa's retreating form, intent on apologizing.

She was already too far, though, and while Anna's eyes lingered longingly on Elsa, she had a breathtaking moment of clarity.

* * *

"Hey."

Elsa snapped her head around. She now stood to the side where she had spent the beginning of the Winter Ball. "Kristoff?" Her voice indicated her surprise.

He smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Care do dance?"

Still with a crease in her forehead, the girl shook her head, risking a transient glimpse searching for particular strawberry blonde hair. "N- no thanks."

The boy sighed, visibly relaxing. ""Thank goodness. Wanna keep standing in a dark corner pretending that we're not here?"

Elsa chuckled. "Yes please."

Satisfied, he let himself fall with a _thunk_ against the nearby wall. He was dressed in a tuxedo, blazer either jet black or close to it, it was difficult to tell in the low light. His shirt was white, with a bowtie matching his jacket. Blonde hair had been combed- a little- and he looked quite presentable. Elsa noted that he would not look out of place at a wedding nor a formal business event. She supposed that this was her way of saying he looked handsome, for a guy. "You look nice," she complemented.

Kristoff ran his hand through his hair, effectively ruining any effort he'd put into it. "Yeah thanks." He tugged at his bowtie, loosening it considerably. "It's so uncomfortable."

Elsa covered her amusement with her hand. "It does look quite restricting."

He gestured to her. "You look nice, too. And that looks significantly less _restricting._ I'm kind of jealous."

A quirked eyebrow. "You want to wear a dress?"

"Hey, all I'm saying is freedom is freedom, okay?" He shrugged with good nature.

"Kristoff!" She chided, cheeks red. She looked away from him in retaliation, and her eyes naturally found her crush. She didn't realize when a small, pining sigh escaped from her lips, but Kristoff _did_ notice.

"She looks nice tonight, too." A pause. "Doesn't she?"

Elsa was caught entirely off guard. She felt her palms become clammy. "I- uh- y- yeah, she does," she admitted. Silence lay between them for a few beats.

"You wish it was you out there." The words were direct, unpleasant in a slicing kind of way. Invasive. _That's the word._ Though Elsa was reluctant to answer, and her head felt dizzy in the face of such a direct admission, she supposed that Kristoff must already know, especially given what he just said. It was more of a clinical statement of fact, not a question. He wasn't looking to prove his hypothesis. He was stating his conclusion.

So, she drew in a squeamish breath and nodded. She could _hear_ her heartbeat in her temples.

He returned the nod, placing a steady hand on her shoulder. "For what it's worth, I wish it was you, too."

Meanwhile, Hans did his best to enjoy his more intimate dance with Anna. His arm around her waist, hers on his shoulder. Right hands clasped together and held up and out. They slowly moved in unison to the music, mutely doing no more than smiling at each other.

He _wanted_ to enjoy it. But he just couldn't unsee _his_ girlfriend and… and that _shitbag_ dancing together. He should have said that Elsa couldn't come to the Ball. Jealousy stirred the pot of emotions already running high. The fiery anger not lost, but coerced by burning envy. The kind that churned one's stomach and made them sick. The kind that made their blood run hot. The kind that challenged rational thought and goaded animosity. He tried to swallow it for now, but it was too strong, unyielding.

And, after all, his jealousy wasn't exactly unwarranted, was it?


	13. I Wanna Waste Some Time with You

_A/N: Hellooooo there. I'm very proud to present chapter 13: I Wanna Waste Some Time with You._

 _On a totally not related note: dialogue is hard. If you notice a section that just doesn't flow or feels blocky, feel free to mention it. I'm still incredibly proud and happy how the chapter came out, and I think you'll enjoy it ;)_

 _If you haven't listened to "Waste My Time" by Saint Asonia, I highly recommend it. 100% convinced it's written about Elsa and Anna._

* * *

13\. I Wanna Waste Some Time with You

" _Let me sing to you  
Just sit here don't move  
I just wanna waste some time with you  
And now you sing to me and I still don't believe  
That you wanna waste some time with me"_

-"Waste My Time" by Saint Asonia

* * *

"Ooh ooh, here's one!" Anna lay on her back, head dangling off of the foot of Elsa's bed. Olaf sat, a veritable ball of purring fur leaning against her thigh as she read from her phone. Spending time with Elsa was a much needed, rejuvenating, and relaxing reprieve from her state of mind lately. Elsa's posture opposed Anna's: she sat on her bed, shoulders and upper back resting comfortably upon the headrest and knees pulled to her chest. She tried not to notice that Anna was wearing a skirt. "If you had one wish, what would you wish for?"

 _You._ "um," Elsa chewed her lip in thought. "I don't know." She really had no way of knowing that, had she actually answered with _'you',_ Anna would have blushed and retorted _'you already have me.'_

Anna sat upright. Her braids flew above her head, a minute _thud_ as they flopped onto her chest, and Olaf non-committaly swatted at one. She flicked her hair around to play with the cat. "There's gotta be something."

"I guess," a short pause, "for a life time supply of chocolate."

"Hey, I was gonna say that!"

Elsa smiled and shrugged. "You shouldn't have asked me first, then. Now you have to pick a new one."

Anna lightly shoved the girl's shoulder. "You win this time, Snow." _Wow._ All that archery had really uhh… paid off in the arms and shoulders. _And probably back. And stomach._ Anna bit her lip, something stirring down in her gut. She had half a mind to check, to see if Elsa's stomach and back were as toned as her arms. _I could give her a massage._ Her breath hitched a little. _Right. Massages are supposed to be shirtless. Still._ Now that made her pinch her legs together: Elsa shirtless.

Elsa would be lying if she said she didn't like the nicknames Anna had been giving her lately. "So, what's yours, then?"

"Huh? Oh, right." _You_ , Anna mentally answered. She thought for a long moment, tapping her finger to her chin. It was adorable. Her free hand idly pet Olaf, and Elsa noted that soon her cat would be more Anna's cat. "I'd wish for _two_ lifetime supplies of chocolate."

"One for me and one for you?" Elsa quipped without thinking.

Looking taken aback, Anna retorted "what? You already have yours!" She paused for a second. "But I could be persuaded to give you some of mine _somehow_." She punctuated her words with a wink, and Elsa's heart jumped straight into her throat, forgetting entirely how to beat.

She choked. Her stomach turned. Olaf yawned, but she couldn't hear it over the blood rushing to her ears. _Did she just_ …? No. She wasn't. She couldn't be. But it sure _seemed_ like she was flirting. Especially now that she's biting her lip. _God_. Elsa's mouth gaped. _No. No no. She's with Hans. Not flirting._ "I- uh- how?" She asked dumbly.

Anna rolled her eyes, leaning forward until she was on her hands and knees. Her face stopped inches from Elsa's. "You know how."

 _THUD!_

"Ow!" Elsa yelped as she smacked her skull right into the mahogany of her headboard. She rubbed the sore spot. Olaf leaped away in fear. Anna howled in laughter.

"Are you okay?" The redhead asked, reaching her hand up to examine the tender area.

"I- yea- um- we- speaking of- chocolate, that is- I'm uh I'm hungry." Distance was her friend here. Efficiently, she cultivated some between them. Physical. Awkwardness was not akin to line of sight, however. Severing such did nothing to quell the mix of butterflies and fire. _Cool down, calm down. Cool down, calm down._ She fanned herself.

Anna smirked after her, hopping off of the bed. She was quite certain that she had never seen Elsa's face _that_ red. If her own heart was beating _this_ quickly, she wondered how Elsa's was holding up. "I want some chocolate, too!" she called out.

Hot chocolate was decidedly a poor choice to cool down with. But it sure was delicious. And Elsa was the one still beet red, not Anna. The redhead plonked herself onto the couch, the liquid in her much sloshing dangerously high. Elsa had also provided an assortment of filled chocolates, a temptress of treats splayed upon the table before them.

She winced a little as Elsa sat down a couple feet from her. "How's your head?"

Very hot liquid almost made a _very_ uncomfortable escape via some nostrils. "Fine um I'm fine, I have- have a lot of hair. To cushion the blow."

Anna put her cup down on the coffee table, scooting closer. "Can I see?"

"I'm _certain_ you've seen my hair before."

"That majestic mane of yours? Nah, never," the other giggled. "Now turn around." She made a twirling finger with her hand as if the act would somehow enlist some authority with this command.

Okay, so maybe it did. Elsa pressed her lips together and shifted so her back was facing Anna. Her pulse quickened as Anna carefully ran her fingers through satiny, flowing hair. Shivers ran up and down Elsa's spine, an electric response from the ministrations. She shivered; her stomach tightened. That very same charge settled near her nether regions and she chewed her lip to control it.

"Aw, Elsa, you have a bump, I'm sorry." Anna poked it.

"Agh, hey! I mean it's um- it's okay."

Anna frowned. Nurse probably wasn't the best profession for her. As she spoke, she tugged the girl's shoulder to indicate that she wanted her to turn back around. She did. "Why'd you let me do that?"

"Anna, you-" Elsa flushed, recalling the reason behind this little offending red swell on her otherwise hopefully normal scalp.

"What?" she rebutted innocently.

"You- you- you-" _AGH!_

 _Christ_ that little smirk on Anna's face was so much more than hot. "I _what_ , Elsa?"

Elsa, in a moment of sensual boldness, leaned herself slowly forward, stopping her face just short of Anna's, a carnal twinkle in her darkened eyes. "You know what you did," she whispered, voice low and husky, hot breath ghosting across Anna's red cheeks.

 _Oh, oh my._ Anna bit her lip to hide an excited smile. _That's- that's sexy._ "Yeah. I do," she winked.

* * *

Watching Elsa play piano was downright magical. Her fingers manipulated the keys, as if ivory was no more than a malleable, liquid form of music. Anna nursed the remnants of her third mug of hot chocolate whilst enjoying not just the view, but the melodies. Why hadn't she watched Elsa play like this before? _Honestly, now half the things you've done feel like a waste of time._

Elsa's music made her feel things. Made her happy, teary eyed, excited, sometimes separately, sometimes all together. Made her heart beat. The look on Elsa's face. Complete focus, but smiling bliss. Serious, but enjoying. Carefree and lost to the world around her. _Just like how she looked at the dance,_ Anna mused. _The way_ I _make her feel_. A warm blush rushed to her cheeks, filling her heart with some kind of pleasantry.

The dexterity of lithe, pale fingers. Dancing across time and space, puppeteered by toned forearms. If Elsa could play the piano like this, think of all the _other_ things she could do well. A tingle ran down Anna's spine, she bit her lip. They were in no rush, nor was the sun rushing to sink below the horizon, so she indulged in her imagination for a few minutes, thoughts steered by the mellifluous notes. She hid her red face in her mug with a grin. The best part? _Elsa's clearly got it just as bad as me._

When Anna was satisfied that she would definitely need to _satisfy_ herself, namely after a particularly lewd and enthralling image of what Elsa could do with those fingers between a certain pair of freckled thighs flashed in her mind, she shook herself back to reality.

"So," she said, inconveniently taking a sip of her drink before continuing. The music, unfortunately, halted. "You never did answer my question."

"Hm? What question?" Elsa inquired sweetly, reaching for her own cocoa. Her second cup. _Slowpoke,_ Anna mentally teased.

"Can you or can you not play the Mission Impossible theme?"

She rolled her eyes. "If you think I didn't learn it the day after you asked me, then I'm afraid you might need a tutor for several facets of life."

"You're one to talk, Smart Stuff. Let's hear it then." Arms crossed.

Elsa gave her a wry grin. _Challenge accepted._ Anna could not help but admire how sexy that confidence was. Flawlessly came a piano rendition of such a familiar tune. Embellished, but true to the original. Creative and saluting, and for the life of her, Anna couldn't find a single flaw to jab back with. When the older girl finished playing, a smug and triumphant look about her, she quipped "is that to your liking?"

 _You? Playing like that? Looking like_ that _? Oh yes. Yes it is._ "It'll do," her tone belying. Even as Elsa rolled her eyes for the second time in as many minutes, Anna continued. She walked around the piano, dragging a finger along the pristine, lacquered maple. "But now comes the real test." She purposefully left a pregnant pause between them. Then, in a quiet tone, as intimidating as possible (which would strike no fear in the most reserved of five-year olds) "Jin-gle-bells."

Elsa burst out laughing. "You can't be serious."

"Jin-gle-bells."

"You're serious!"

As Anna sung the following part, the blonde began plucking the appropriate keys. "Jin-gle all the way."

Voice blended with pure tones from the piano elegantly, harmonizing and flowing naturally. Elsa admired her crush's gentle but assertive voice, notes hit so delicately, but with such accuracy that it was almost disorienting. Like she was kneading and shaping the air itself. Elsa _almost_ missed some notes. _How,_ was the only thing she could really ask herself; _did I never realize that Anna is_ this _good at singing?_ Teal eyes scarcely left blue ones for the duration of the song, neither pair of lips daring to do anything but grin.

The pair ended up playing through several Christmas classics, truly overtaken by the spirits of good cheer and even _uhh… gooder?_ better company. It was by no mistake when Anna started singing the iconic _"All I Want for Christmas is You,"_ at one point during the song winking at Elsa, who subsequently did fumble over the keys and miss several notes.

Yeah, okay, it might have been a little direct, but Anna shrugged off that little fact and continued to enjoy herself.

* * *

"Walk me to my car? It's getting dark." Their time was running short, the day gone but not wasted.

"You parked twenty feet from the door," Elsa deadpanned. Truthfully, she wouldn't dare leave Anna to walk alone.

"Exactly! A twenty-foot opportunity for the monsters to get me. Rawr!" She made little mouth with her hands, pretending to bite at the other girl.

"Krampus only eats children, Anna."

"Elsa, don't be ridiculous. Krampus only comes out on Christmas morning. Obviously, I'm at a much higher risk for being eaten by a giant, evil snowman." She crossed her arms.

Disbelief carved its way through the air from Elsa to Anna, driven by her stare. After holding the urge down for seconds, laughter got the better of her, billowing pleasantly from her throat. Anna really _really_ loved that sound. She smiled. "Well, I sure can't argue with that logic. Shall we?"

"We shall," the redhead confirmed with a forceful nod, totally, definitely _not_ giving herself a minor headache. _Ow._ She grabbed Elsa's hand. Her fingers were warm, and a little sweaty. Probably from all that playing she did. That _has_ to be quite the workout. "You know," she mused as they stepped outside, "I had an especially great time today. Spending the whole day with you was nice. Double nice. _Triple_ nice, even!" She noted the dopey smile on Elsa's adorable face.

"Because you earned me a bump on my head?"

Anna bumped their shoulders together, nearly losing her footing before catching herself on the side of her car, with her back. _Nice save, smooth!_ "You know you liked it."

Elsa's heart fluttered, she felt that familiar flash of light-headedness. "I- I did. And I had a good time, too."

They stood there for a stretch of time, the exact amount irrelevant and uncalculated. Anna leaning her back against her car, Elsa before her, still clinging to one of her hands. Anna's eyes seemed so… so _something,_ but Elsa could not place it. Not quite. But that glimmer in her eyes, even as night crowded around them, drew her in. She was vaguely aware that it was _freezing_ out, but neither cared.

The world spun around Elsa as her heart beat into her neck, the impressive thump being the only thing she could truly hear. Her brain lagged behind as Anna drew their faces closer, puckering her lips. Automatically, the elder's eyes fluttered shut, whether in anticipation or a self-defense mechanism to stop her from _literally_ fainting was debatable.

Anna felt it too, heart racing.

 _But…_

"Hans!"

"Huh!?"

"I'm still dating Hans! Omigod, Elsa I'm sorry- I'm so sorry! I better go, I gotta- oof-" she bumped into her car door while opening it- "I gotta go." She shot Elsa an apologetic look, one she _knew_ Elsa wouldn't understand. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I'll um- I'll call- I'll- talk to you later, just- I really gotta go!"

Elsa just stood as Anna peeled away in her car, bringing with her the moment. She tried, she _really_ tried not to cry.

But it didn't work.


	14. Mr Brightside

_A/N: Oops, sorry ;)_

 _WARNING: violence, strong language, some brief sexual assault (nothing beyond grope/kiss)_

* * *

"I got this, I can do this, yes, I'm ready, I was _born_ ready!" _Okay calm down._ It had been not half an hour since Anna's _almost_ kiss with Elsa, and she was still riding on the high, bolstering her bravery and determination. "On the count of three. One, two, _three_!" She knocked.

The high, and the guilt. Cruel, misleading, torturous, careless, despicable. Figuratively stinky and generally untenable. These were all ways that Anna described her slip to herself. It was _wrong._ But the whole day with Elsa just felt so _right_! _That doesn't mean you can just toy with her like that, jerkwad._ Shame washed over Anna. She obviously hadn't done it on purpose, but she'd still done it. Such a moment is so easy to get lost in, one transitory lapse in better judgement and higher level thinking- and sometimes around Elsa, higher level thinking was nigh _impossible. I mean, just_ look _at her!_ But also, Anna had to look at what she had done to her.

There was a part of her, a large part, that was just _excited._ A promise of affections unbridled, guilt banished. Freeing herself to be all that Elsa deserved her to be. _If she's not pissed at you._ She had to fix this, she _had_ to fix it _now._ Then, she could go to Elsa! Then, she wouldn't be leading Elsa on anymore! Anna just had to do one thing first.

So, here she was. This internal conflict rupturing guilt and excitement propelling her forward.

"Anna?"

 _Oh God, I'm not ready._ "Uhh yep, heyy." She awkwardly garbled.

"What um- what brings you here this late?" His voice surprised but pleased.

"Oh you know, just…" her voice trailed off. Meeting his gaze was difficult, so she veered her attention to the side.

"I see," Hans said with a smooth grin, opening the portal. "Come in, please."

 _Why in the world is he_ happy _right now? Doesn't he know what I'm about to do!_ Of course he didn't. That would be too easy."Thank you," she stepped in, hesitant at first. Hans _did_ always get mad when she brought up Elsa. She grimaced. _Probably best not to tell him that part._ The rigorous heartbeat within felt different than earlier. Rather than an enthralled drumming, it was more of a frightened, nervous quivering. _Like my knees._

As Hans led her into the house, she absentmindedly mulled. He was just… Hans now. She didn't have even those little butterflies when she saw him anymore. Maybe that's because she knew what she was about to do to him. Maybe her mind was mentally distancing itself. Maybe it was because she was used to him. _Maybe it's because I don't, and never did, love him._ The thought snuck up on her, causing her brows the raise. _Elsa_ was really the only tangible word that came from the flurry of images that followed.

 _Stop thinking, it's not going to help! No think! Only do!_

"So," he picked up the conversation, sitting down on his bed and patting the spot next to him. Anna planted herself down with ample space between them. He scooted closer, she frowned. "You were just in the area?"

"S-sorta, yeah. Just, you know, hangin' out." It wasn't a _lie_.

"So you came by just to see me?" The phrase was innocent, but his smirk and the wiggling of his eyebrows was anything but.

Anna was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable. "Well yes, but- um, but actually no not really. I have- I have to tell you something."

He raised an eyebrow, "oh?"

"Yeah." Hair. Her hair was something soothing to play with. Just like Elsa did when she was nervous. _Playing with Elsa's hair would be nice right about now._ Focus. She needed to focus. "I need to say- or I want to say that- well, I'm not really sure _how_ to say it, but I know it has to be said because I've been doing a lot of thinking lately- not that I don't normally think, I do think- but- but I've- I guess I've _still_ been thinking lately, just thinking about different things than normal- and- okay- well, the point is, Hans, that I think- well I want- I think it's time-"

"Shh," he placed a comforting finger over her mouth. She stared at it, baffled, as he spoke. "It's okay."

"Wait, what? It is?"

"I agree." A muscular arm draped around her. Suddenly, their considerable size difference became apparent. She shuddered. Sitting next to him now felt more like sitting next to a bear.

And she had no idea how hungry it was.

"Then what are-"

"I think it's time, too. I mean," Hans shrugged, speaking loftily to lighten the mood. "We've been dating for quite a while. It just feels right, you know?"

Anna furrowed her brow, but her words got caught thickly in her throat by the syrupy air. Verbal opposition or word vomit rendered impossible. A large, strong hand found its way to her thigh, and he closed his eyes, puckering his lips. _Wait, what? No no no no, he's got entirely the wrong idea! Not that!_ Anna thought she might be sick. She frantically squeaked and scooted away. Like a scared kitten running to a corner.

"It's okay, Anna. I know you're nervous, but you can trust me."

"Hans- I- I- I- I'm not here for-" lips like the roughage from the forest floor connected with hers, and her blood boiled. "Hans, stop, I-" they planted again. "I don't-" He was leaning in to her- "That's not what I-" he was pushing her onto her back, hand on her chest- "I'm here to break up with you!" She all but screamed, scrambling off the bed, shoving him away.

"Wait, what?" He stood, confused but not calm.

"I said," the girl repeated, her voice's authority and clam surprising her. "I'm breaking up with you."

Dumbfounded silence. Silence that let thoughts slither back into Anna's mind. Silence that bred fear at the utter lack of response he gave. Anna waited for what felt like hours.

"No," he finally said, commandingly. Angrily. _Control,_ was all that was going through his mind. _Maintain control._

"What do you mean ' _no'_!?"

"I mean no," he said again, reveling.

"You can't say no!"

"Yes I can! We're not breaking up, Anna."

" _Yes,_ we _are._ It's not your choice! What even makes you _think_ that you have _any_ say in it!?"

"Because I'M in this relationship, too!" He was somewhere between talking loudly and shouting. One thing was for sure: his tone was furious enough to shake the room.

"So? It's MY choice, not yours! It's MY life!" Shrill, loud, aggressive. Anna leaned forward as she argued, and so did Hans.

"It's _OUR_ choice!"

"NO, Hans! I'm not HAPPY with you!" She finally screamed.

This seemed to knock him into a stupor. His mouth opened to reply, but nothing came out. Anna was breathing heavily, ready to become truly livid with him, but not ready for the words that he finally did manage. "Why can't we just work it out?" She couldn't even tell if he sounded more pathetic or angry.

Her heart fell and her eyes were hot with tears. "Because, there's nothing to be worked out. It's just…" she paused, wary of bringing certain things up. "It's…"

"It's Elsa, isn't it?"

Her silence said more than any answer could.

Hans felt that kind of fury scald his insides, stirring and building. Rising. The kind that pilots you, the kind that makes you say things, makes you do things that you regret. The incorrigible kind. Blind rage. "It is!" Control slipped. "It's always been about Elsa, hasn't it!" Not a question. His head felt hot. "I mean, _best friends_ ," he said, exasperated. His thoughts flew faster than he could keep up. Just images. Images that meant jealousy, betrayal, _hatred._ "That- that stupid _fucking_ girl!" Control, lost. "Your BEST FRIEND!?" Frenzy hemorrhaging out of his mind and into his blood. It felt burning, powerful. "I'll show you what I think about your _BEST FUCKING FRIEND!_ "

 _CRACK._

"Ah!" Anna gasped as she collapsed to the floor, metallic in her mouth, the pain not even registering yet.

Hans looked at his hand in shock for just a moment.

Anna, on the floor. Control, back in place. He let out a dry laugh. This wasn't exactly the power he wanted to keep, but it worked. For now. She looked so defenseless on the ground. It was easy, like taking candy from a child. Like kicking a frightened, whimpering puppy.

He basked in it.

 _Control._

"Whatever you have," he taunted, voice eerily evenhanded. "Whatever you _think_ you have with Elsa, it will never last. She will _never_ love you. Who _could_ ever love you? She'll leave you. Just like your parents did." He stood, towering before her, his form naught but an outline in front of the heavy glow of a lamp, presence heavy in the stagnant air. "You _will_ end up alone, Anna."

The fact that she was sobbing just invigorated him. "Now get the _fuck_ out of my house," he hissed, his foot connecting to her ribs with a sickening _THUD._

Running. Sobbing, gasping, limping. Anna held her side, the throbbing pain nothing compared to the turmoil within. Her head pounded, her cheek felt raw, the unfamiliar, unnerving taste of metallic coating her tongue. "Agh," she cried, stumbling into a door frame, fumbling her frustratingly clumsy hands at the doorknob.

The world wouldn't stop moving around her. Tilting and twirling, stealing her balance, tripping her feet. She collapsed against the hood of her car, gracelessly letting loose the contents of her stomach. There were so, so many things going through her mind. A flurry of her life, memories, fears, regrets, hopes, and shattered dreams. She didn't even notice the hot tears pouring from her eyes, the sharp pain shooting through her side as she gasped for air.

Through the foggy, windy, _stormy_ haze within her head, just two notions solidified themselves. Not forming complete thoughts, but sticking with her in a way she couldn't describe. The strange feeling in her weakened heart, the nausea pumping through her sickly stomach.

The concept of _Elsa_ was the first to land. _Elsa,_ and _temporary._

Anna fought the urge to vomit again and got in her car. Breath shuddering, physically and mentally unable to keep up, she screamed.


	15. Matchmaking

Just about the last thing on Elsa's list of expected things when she timidly answered her front door (she really normally wouldn't answer her front door at this time of night, but she knew that knock) was a blur of auburn and a tackling hug so forceful that it nearly knocked her straight onto her bottom. "Elsa!" came Anna's gasping breath, and in less than two seconds, the elder could extrapolate that Anna was sobbing, had been crying, and was not in a positive state of mind. She was shaking, needy, clinging so tight that breathing was a chore. She _smelled._ Elsa's heart dropped.

"Anna! Anna, what happened? Are you okay?" She fired questions, unsure exactly what to do as panic swelled within her.

"I'm okay," she gasped, pulling away to look at Elsa. Her side throbbed rudely. Her glistening eyes and cheeks now smeared with salty tears gave a good indication that she was not, in fact, okay. "Just-" she sniffled- "just hold me?"

Elsa pursed her lips. A dark red cheek, glistening in the light with tears. The silence of the night time house surrounding them and magnifying Anna's strained breaths and loaded sniffles. A trickle of blood, a sanguine hue just visible between two teeth. Panic swirling like a tornado within the elder. Anger, boiling over in the pot of her mind. Did she really have to guess who did this? She took a deep breath, her exhale choppy. Anna had one very specific request. _Hold her._ Elsa bit her tongue, she bit her emotions and need for immediate answers, and nodded. "Okay," good lord could her voice sound any weaker?

She wrapped her arms back around Anna nonetheless, guiding her to the couch.

Anna clung. Tightly, forcefully. Like if she let go, Elsa would dissolve into nothingness. Like relinquishing her hold would be sacrificing their connection. She cried into the crook of Elsa's neck, burrowing her face like she was trying to fuse them together. She just kept sobbing: apologies and gasps, begs and cries. "I'm so sorry, just don't leave me, please don't leave me," and Elsa fought back the burning behind her eyes, the dampness brining her cheeks. Her shirt was stained with no doubt more than one bodily fluid, and she ignored that rather unpleasant thought for the time being.

"Oh, Anna," she breathed, stroking twin braids, rubbing the small of a heaving back.

Because _Anna_ was what's important.

* * *

Hans paced his room, environment spinning like a tilt-a-whirl. He felt dizzy, sick. A practical fever dream of circular logic clenching his mind as he tried to regain his balance. Disorientation caught up as the floor seemed to shift below and he collapsed onto his bed, finding not even balance in his thoughts, pulling his hair as if it would pull the stress from within.

He had lost control.

Lost control of his actions. Lost control of Anna.

Lost control of their relationship.

 _No._

It had been taken. Stolen away. By... by Elsa? _Fucking Snowflake._

Elsa, or Anna.

After all, it was Anna who argued. Anna who left him. Anna who chose Elsa of her own volition. How could that pale, introverted invalid possibly orchestrate any situation to go her own way? She was barely capable of life.

God damned Anna made him lose control. She forced the scenario out of his hands, she caused him to fall into a blind rage. It was her fault!

But, he smiled a putrid smile, he had the physical advantage over both of those two idiots combined. And know he knew just how easy it was to commandeer a situation with carefully applied _force._

* * *

"It's- it's over," Anna eventually croaked out. It'd been a while. Okay, more than a while. Quite a while. A long while. Anna just... she just hadn't wanted to let go of Elsa yet.

"What? What's over?"

Pulling away to meet pellucid blue eyes rich with concern and thick with confusion, she clarified. "Hans. Hans and I. We're over." She gulped. Vulnerable was an understatement right then, as Elsa bored into her soul.

"So he..." she trailed off.

Anna nodded, choking down more tears. "He did," she no more than whispered. "And uh, here" she held her side. Elsa understood.

That little fire of protectiveness was all Anna ever wanted to see in that moment. Elsa nearly stood, but she thought better of it. Hans could be dealt with later. Anna was here _now._ "I should see the other guy?"

Anna chuckled, which made Elsa more relieved than she expected. "I _am_ the other guy," she admitted, indicating that she did, in fact, walk away more injured than Hans. And _that_ expression on the older's face; well, suffice to say that the girls knew each other quite well by now. "I know," she sniffled. "You're gonna kill him."

Elsa gasped a little puff of laughter from behind her stress and own tears. It sounded kinda like she was laughing underwater. "He should be so lucky. You really stink."

Crinkling her nose with some abomination of a somehow angelic mixture of subsiding sobs and flowering laughter, Anna shrugged. "I could use a shower."

"You um, you should probably get to that. I'll- I'll tell my dad that you're here."

Anna smiled. Her aqua eyes begging and hopeful like an adorable little puppy dog. "I'll call Kai and tell him I'm staying here tonight?" Then, in a voice subdued enough that Elsa wasn't one hundred percent sure that she heard correctly, "I don't want to be alone."

Elsa just smiled and nodded. Heart swelling and skipping a beat and dropping and breaking and doing so many things at once that she didn't bother trying to keep up.

* * *

Anna plodded into Elsa's room, cheeks red. "I uh... I don't have a uh- a change of clothes." She stood, clad in naught but a towel, skin still slightly damp, impressive collection of hair tied above in a second towel. The towel covered her... important bits, but left long, toned legs almost all the way up. The sheer amount of bare shoulders and upper chest that the towel didn't cover helped in answering Elsa's age-old question of how far Anna's freckles reached. They did eventually disappear modestly into the makeshift garment. But one could _certainly_ surmise that they covered the _entirety_ of Anna's breasts, not just the upper halves. That one was Elsa. Right then. Staring. _Gawking._

Elsa gulped. She had half a mind to tell Anna she didn't need a change, just to hang the towel up. Her heart raced; body hot. "Yeah- oh yeah- um you can- you can use- well I have some- it'll probably fit you! Let me- I'll just- let me- oof-" it was Elsa's turn to be a clutz for once as she clambered out of her bed, tripping over her sheets. "I'll just get it!"

pearly whites chewed red, sensitive lips. Elsa tripping was oddly cute. The distraction only lasted for a moment, though. During her time in a rather steamy and _painful_ shower (who knew hot water on bruising skin would sting so much? Anna did, now), she had time to think. Specifically, time to think about earlier that night. Last time she was at Elsa's. _The uh,_ Anna huffed, _yeah that._

"Here," speaking of, the girl held out a rather cozy looking, olive green night gown. Anna grabbed it. The material was thick, she'd certainly be warm.

"I didn't know you owned green anything."

"Green is growing on me," blushing furiously as she realized the implications.

The redhead shrugged. "I'm becoming quite fond of blue. Now turn," she requested.

Elsa complied, allowing her... friend just felt like such an inadequate word at this point. But anything more felt presumptuous. Anyway, allowing her friend- her crush, to throw on the gown and yank the towel off. _Crush._ After all, just because Anna wasn't with Hans, didn't mean that she was all Elsa's. After all, they literally _just_ broke up _that_ night.

A small hole in her chest, no more was needed. Anna had _not_ kissed her. Now, Elsa knew why. She _knew_ it was because the girl was still technically dating Hans. _Because Anna is honest._ But that was rationality.

Pernicious doubt. Like a spreading disease. Triggered by- by _something._ What the _Hell_ even set her off? Elsa hated her mind, sometimes.

Perhaps, somewhat paradoxically, it was the intimacy she felt with Anna in that moment that made her feel so distant.

After all, emotions were not logical beings.

The fact was that Anna had pulled away from the kiss, and that still _hurt._

Silence rang as the elder wordlessly walked to her bed, unwilling to betray the sudden bout of emotion that had flipped her mood so fast that it earned her figurative whiplash. The tension in the room shifted a little, and Anna frowned as she approached the edge of the bed where Elsa now lay. She sat. "Elsa," she started, unsure exactly how to proceed.

Given that look of heartbreak she'd endured when she refused to kiss Elsa, she had a pretty good idea where to start, though.

"Hm?" the one in question responded, laying facing away.

"About earlier- I'm- I'm sorry, Elsa."

"It's okay," the elder breathed, clearly with some held sniffles.

"No, it's not," she insisted, cautiously placing her hand on Elsa's shoulder, entirely too relieved when she didn't pull away. "I- I know I really hurt you." She shook her head, blinking away the welling in her eyes. "I don't want to hurt you."

Elsa turned, a tear trickling down the bridge of her nose and plopping to the pillow below. "I was- I was stupid to think you would ever..." she trailed off, the lump in her throat catching all words, cheeks kissed by flame. "And now you're consoling me and I'm supposed to be the one consoling you because you're- you're the one that's- you're-"

"Shh, shh, no, no you're not," Anna hushed, laying herself down in bed, thankfully on her right side. She grunted in stiff pain nonetheless.

"Anna!" Elsa reflexively gasped, reached out to her.

The girl smiled, now laying down. "You're not stupid," she repeated, running her hand softly through platinum hair. Anna rolled her eyes, grinning, hoping that her attempt to raise the spirits of the room would work. "And you _just_ let me cry on your shoulder for like an hour. And bleed." When Elsa grimaced, but smiled a little despite, Anna doubled down. " _And_ you let me snot all over your shoulder."

"Anna, gross!" she shoved the other's shoulder.

"Yeah," she chuckled, "I was gross." Her face fell more serious, but not losing the caring smile. "And you lent me a toothbrush for my puke-breath-"

"Wait, you puked?"

"And you're letting me borrow your clothes and use your shower _and_ stay with you _just_ so that I don't have to be alone tonight. There's- there's a reason I came to you first." Her hand stopped stroking the elder's hair, opting now to cup her cheek. "Elsa, you have no idea how much that means to me." She was aware, she felt it when a tear dripped from her eye, but she didn't react. Instead, choosing to really get a good look into glistening azure. She pressed their foreheads together. "You have no idea how much _you_ mean to me."

Elsa thought she was going to cry. Maybe she did. A little. A lot. Maybe several tears did make their way to her sheets. And maybe they felt different. Maybe these tears, maybe these ones made her feel warm inside. Made her... _happy._ She sniffled, a different sniffle, a good sniffle.

Unknowing exactly what to say, the elder instead reached down to the hem of her nightshirt. Luckily for her, she was wearing a two-piece sleeping set. She slowly, trepid hand shaking, raised her top. She held her breath as she stopped her shirt just below her right breast, exposing her very pale (yet incredibly sexy and- _oh my,_ _was Elsa getting abs?_ ) stomach and ribs to Anna.

Elsa showcased her own scar tissue. "We match now."

Anna chortled, wiping her own fresh tears away. "I'd show you mine, but," she bit her lip, "I'm not wearing any underwear."

The look on Elsa's face was well worth it, her goldfish imitation on point.

Then, the redhead smirked. "Well, I suppose I could still show you mine," a wink.

"Anna!" Elsa scolded, face cherry red and sizzling smoke coming from atop her noggin. "Door! Open!" Her father's only rule for Anna to stay over. _Keep your door open at all times._

Anna just giggled and reached out. "I'm only kidding." She ran her fingers delicately around the area of Elsa's scar. "I like matching you." The gentle caress felt simultaneously cool and hot. Elsa shuddered, a tingle running all the way from her head down to her toes, to the very depths of her bones. Her hair stood on end at the epicenter, the tactile sensation of Anna's finger only growing more welcome over time.

How long she examined and traced the old wound wasn't of Anna's focus. Her shoulder did eventually get tired, so she spent only a few more moments scratching Elsa's exposed naval and side, maybe or maybe not glancing up to watch the elder's eyes close and roll in utter delight when _just_ the right spot was hit. She removed her hand, resting her shoulder, and whispered.

"Can I tell you one more thing before we go to sleep?"

The grin that spread from one of Elsa's ears to the other, albeit markedly sleepy, was also genuine and dopey. She nodded.

Anna leaned forward, closing her eyes. Her head pounded in pent anticipation. The world around dropped away, as if to pay respects to the voltaic tension, the already palpable knots of anticipation tied around her throat. Like approaching a charged surface, she felt the ticklish hairs on the back of her neck stand up as her lips neared Elsa's.

Time froze for just a moment.

Her breath hitched.

At long last, at such long _effing_ last, their lips brushed together, and Anna felt every last emotion she'd felt for Elsa since the very day they met pour in to soft, warm, stunned, _stunning_ lips.

Tender, tentative, needy, _emotional._ Hot, electric. Apologetic, thankful. Woozy. _Oh God._ Anna nearly passed out. It felt _so right._

Over as quickly as it began.

Anna pulled away, with a soft _smack_ flickering through the air between them, the flyaway spark remnant from their moment. She smiled, and was certain that her heart would pop right within her. Useless were words here. Pointless were thoughts. She just… _felt_ so much, so much that it caused _physical_ unrest. She looked passionately into clouded, dazed blue eyes, whispering so softly. "I absolutely would."

They say that sleeping next to a special someone invigorates the Sandman, making rest come easier. Well, that wasn't the case here. Anna, and much _much_ later followed by Elsa, did; however, find sleep eventually.

* * *

"Mmm, good morning," Anna mumbled through a stretch- "owe-" _right._ Her side. She placed her arm around Elsa's thighs. _Thighs?_ She opened one eye, bleary and blurry the world was. _Think like Yoda in the morning, I do._ Light burned; the haze of a lazy morning already settling in. _Thigh,_ she confirmed, tracing to a stomach and an oddly upside-down Elsa. Hanging off the bed. _Like a bat. Wait._ Anna lifted her head, brow furrowed.

"Are you okay?" Elsa sat, back against the headrest, right side up, like a normal human being. It took Anna entirely too long to piece this together.

She yawned. "I've had worse. Do you write in your journal every morning?"

Peering at her companion, Elsa smiled in awe. What a giant, tangled, knotted, fluffed mess of bed head she had. _I'm not the only one._ She stifled a giggle, holding her diary to hide her mirth when she saw the trail of drool from Anna's mouth still connecting to the pillow, leaving a wet spot on a pillowcase that now certainly needed to be washed. The morning rays of the sun blared off of auburn hair and reflected in the pink glow of cherubic freckled cheeks. _Stunning,_ was the word that came to mind.

"No," Elsa finally answered. "Only when something important happens."

"Oh? And what important thing happened last night?" A mild, teasing twang to the words and a quirked eyebrow.

Elsa confidently yet playfully smirked. Anna found it _interesting,_ for lack of more arousing term. "Nothing."

"Oh really?" The younger sat up, leaning in and planting a slow, scalding, and soft kiss to a now pink cheek. Elsa's heart jumped into her throat; the room was all spinny around her. She saw stars, actually having to focus not to faint. The heat from her face as the smooch ended audibly seemed to skewer and cook her chest, which was now beating furiously for dear life. Anna wrapped one arm around the small of Elsa's back, resting her head right on the girl's lap. "Tell me about this nothing."

Elsa just grinned, a lovestruck fool no longer feeling like such a fool. "First, let's check that bruise of yours."

* * *

 _A/N: Ha! I bet you were worried I'd use this to put a wedge between them! I'm not that mean! not_ this _time!_

 _Thank you so much for reading :D_


	16. Probation

_A/N: Sorry for the slightly longer wait than normal on this one, but it is about twice as long as normal for this story, so hopefully that makes up for it :P_

 _I'm quite confident you will enjoy this one and the next few chapters :D_

* * *

Okay, so they weren't dating. Not yet. Not really. Not really _really,_ really, at all. That didn't make sense. Anna huffed, but it was probably the most adult decision she'd ever made in her expansive eighteen years alive.

Fine, so what if it wasn't entirely her idea? So _what_ if it wasn't even _partly_ her idea? Kai, in all of his sagely, albeit portly, wisdom had, um… _suggested_ it _very_ strongly. Insisted, even. All the while managing to disclose entirely too much about his previous relationships ("ew! Kai! Gross!" didn't even stop the madman).

But Anna took his point. She took it. It poked her. It hurt. But it made sense.

And most frustratingly, it was _right._

She was fresh out of the oven of her previous relationship. She was cooling pizza. If that oven was dissociated and abusive and cooked her on way too high of a heat. Everyone knows the saying about a frog in boiling water. Anna was just a pizza, in a… _boiling? That's not right…_ oven. A pizza with physical bruises to prove that the oven kicked it.

Pizza sounded great right about then.

Pizza with Elsa sounded even better. She smiled. _After school plans, check._

 _The point was!_ That Anna had a lot to work through. Kai's point. Kai's _correct_ point, she reminded herself. "It is some discomfort now to save both of you a lot of pain in the future," her uncle had summed up. 'Discomfort' was an odd way to put it, given that she was mostly walking on cloud-nine, but she understood. Some desires left unrealized, some (a _lot_ of) self-control to be managed for the time being. Like, Holy Crap who knew not smooching that smart, talented, affectionate, caring, funny, gentle, strong, gorgeous, cute, _sexy_ girl every second of every- _okay, okay, calm down._ Anyway, who knew it'd be so difficult?

Time for Anna to be Anna, and nothing else. Time to process things.

And honestly- _heh, 'Anna-estly'-_ Elsa had taken it so well! (simply blurting, much to her embarrassment and the red head's amusement, "but we're still going to date? Eventually?" In front of both Anna _and_ Agnarr). Just one more reason to add to Anna's ever-growing list of reasons that Elsa was her favorite person: she was so understanding. Anna (read: Kai looking out for Anna) had enlisted backup in the form of Agnarr for _that_ discussion. She didn't really trust her mouth sometimes. Communication and all that.

Sure that kiss they shared hung in the air between them like an omen of awkward sometimes. Anna happily welcomed the intruder. Because, well, it just made the sexual tension between them _unbearable_ sometimes, and she _lived_ for Elsa's reactions!

And sexual undertones. With Elsa.

She squeezed the soft yet decidedly strong hand in her own. "I…" what… the… Anna's mind blanked. What the _Hell_ was she just about to say? Whatever it was, it had her heart pounding. There was some _swell_ of emotion- appreciation? Within her that her mouth, much to her brain's dismay, found necessary to try to vocalize. They plodded, footfalls in sync, hands held, toward the morning maw of the school. _No red Mustang,_ Anna noted. Winter break loomed just over the horizon, motivation to attend classes at an all-time low for the year.

"You…" Elsa raised an eyebrow, blue eyes looking back at Anna.

"I um," Anna continued before giving herself time to think, earning a long pause between her words. "I- I just really really appreciate you." Ah, that was it. _Not quite._ something felt _missing_ from the statement, despite it being true in Anna's typical, gentle, heavy handed, and direct way. "For- for understanding. And for just… being you." She blushed.

Elsa too had fuchsia cheeks, eyes now looking down. "My dad always says communication is the most important thing." She once again met teal eyes, smiling.

It took a moment to unravel the implications behind the soft yet cryptic words. Anna's face grew bright. Elsa was thanking her for being honest. For thinking enough of her to _not_ keep her in the dark. For letting her understand. _I guess that's why they say honesty is a virtue._ Further inspection of the comment could suggest one more layer. Elsa had been hurt when they first almost kissed and Anna ran away without explaining _what_ she was doing. Anna recognized that now.

But there was no anger, no resentment behind those sky blue eyes (the sky was gray that day but that was beside the point). There was just- Anna couldn't quite tell. _Caring._ That would work, for now. Appreciation, too. It was welled within the candor of Elsa's face.

So, the implication: Elsa was commending and thanking Anna for her growth. For learning from her mistake, for her own introspection (though a lot of that was thanks to Kai, Anna supposed she still learned the lesson, one way or another). Could Elsa really mean _all_ that? The answer Anna decided on was yes. _Elsa is, after all, smarter than your average cookie._

Elsa was _forgiving_ her.

The elder did continue after the practically visible cogs ceased their turns behind the younger's eyes. "So, thank you, too. For understanding. For being you, too." All but confirming Anna's hypothesis.

" _God_ Elsa, you're so- I just- are you even real? You're so smart and so sweet- I've never felt so- _God_ I can't wait until our probationary period is over so I can just kiss your amazing little face off when you say something like that it makes me feel so _gah!_ Inside!" Anna didn't even care about her word vomit, she bounced around like flubber while she spoke, not caring to hide her jittery excitement and the not so little squeal that escaped at the end.

Elsa managed to keep her composure despite the dizzying, heart pounding, hot flash-inducing word vomit from the one singular person it mattered from. Pure, unadulterated, unapologetic _gushing._ About her. From _Anna._ Elsa would have to process this with her journal later. Though she was practically fainting, she managed to sarcastically bite back. "So that's what this feels like to you? Like being a prisoner on probation?"

A snort, laugh, and knee slap later, Anna chided "You know that's not what I meant, you stinker!"

Elsa just wore a small smile and a ferociously hot blush. Just barely a mumble. If Anna hadn't been tuning every last one of her five sometimes useless senses towards the other girl at that instant, she wouldn't have heard "you make me feel 'gah' inside, too."

Anna beamed. The morning bell interrupted their shenanigans. Elsa found that she cared not about the many sets of eyes watching the two make a scene.

* * *

"I've never understood the phrase 'you can't have your cake and eat it, too.' Like, that's the whole point of having a cake in the first place! To eat it!" Anna passionately explained over the loud background, garbled conversation that was the sounds of the cafeteria.

Elsa laughed, her bouncing shoulders causing her hand to wiggle in Anna's. Casually holding hands while you sat and ate lunch was a totally normal, friendly thing to do, right? "My my, I never knew you felt so strongly about this subject. Any other sayings you're equally passionate about?"

"Yes actually," Anna placed her free hand on her hip, unwilling to relinquish the warm feeling of her fingers tangled with Elsa's. _Yup, simply friendly, just like how sisters hold hands!_ "'I could care less' makes absolutely no sense. It's its own contradiction! It _should_ be 'I couldn't care less'."

"Point taken," the other said with a bemused expression.

"And don't even get me started on tabling something. That's its own opposite! Like, 'let's table this discussion' can mean 'let's talk about this later,' _or_ 'let's talk about it now'!" Elsa did raise an eye brow, Anna did notice that (maybe). She was just already on a roll. It was too late. Elsa had ordered this cake, and she was going to eat it, too. Dramatically, animatedly, flailing her arms (and by extension, her crush's) around, she continued. "And speaking of words that mean their own opposites, did you know that 'off-kilter' and 'on-kilter' mean the _exact_ same thing!?"

"Honestly," Elsa interjected, "the amount of knowledge you're dropping on me right now is making me feel a little _on-kilter_."

Anna snorted with laughter, much to the other's audible amusement, which earned her a playful bump of the shoulder. "Well, you and I are _on-kilter_ for some pizza after school." She paused. "Wait, that didn't make any sense."

The elder quirked an eyebrow. "No, it didn't. But pizza sounds lovely."

Kristoff, focus shifting between the two, mouth agape, finally interrupted. "Are you two _sure_ you're not dating?"

The girls blushed and giggled, looking at each other with knowing eyes. Kristoff didn't know about their kiss. No one did, save for Elsa's parents and Anna's uncle. The not so little, intimate secret between the two made the elder's heart race as she basked in the mirth and mischief dwelling behind brilliant teal. Teal like the ocean on a bright day. When the redhead winked, Elsa's heart skipped a beat. She bit her lip, smirking back. She had half a mind to start fanning herself with her free hand.

The group of friends talked and joked for the remainder of lunch. Sven, who was there, said nothing (according to both Elsa and Anna) but Kristoff seemed to insist that his best friend was indeed speaking; replying to silence and agreeing with unspoken points. Elsa supposed it was possible that the entirety of Kristoff and Sven's communication was akin to how Anna and she had silently spoken about the kiss earlier: with a look, wink, and a smirk to express rather complex and powerful shared emotions. All while keeping others' prying ears from becoming privy. _That must be it,_ she decided regarding the enigma that was Sven.

Kristoff mentioned the last ice sculpture he'd be working on in his club this semester, which would be a large, like, life-sized large, massive, detailed reindeer. If anyone could pull it off, it was him. Elsa found that she was a little saddened at the fact that there was only one archery practice remaining. They would not be meeting during Winter break. And no, it wasn't because that was Anna time. She could predict with confidence that her and her _crush-friend_ would still spend just as much time together. Elsa made a note, she'd have to bring that newly invented word up to Anna, _'crush-friend.'_

No, she determined that she would, indeed, miss the friend she'd found in Merida, and archery itself. She pondered this for several minutes. Right up until the bell rang and the quartet begrudgingly parted ways.

Bringing that day to a refreshing close with a pizza date- err- hangout; a pizza _hangout_ with Anna was just what Elsa needed.

* * *

They trudged through the throws of final exams, now entering the open maw of Winter break. Stressful tests gave way to extended time off to rest, recuperate, and have fun. Anna, it seemed, had honed in immediately on the latter. The minute- nay the _second_ everyone was out of their overcooked and much too long tests, she'd sent a group message to what she was apparently now calling _'The Crew.'_

' _Hey crew! Movie night at Anna's personal castle of Arendelle, 7:30! There will be food (duh) oh and chocolate!'_

Elsa smiled at the playful description Anna had created of her house. Mental note taken; she was about to put her phone away when it dinged again.

This time, it was a message to just Elsa. Her smile grew.

' _You can come over early ;)'_

Blue eyes widened. Weren't winky faces usually reserved for, well, _suggestive_ behavior? Elsa felt her cheeks grow hot. She stifled a wry grin by chewing her lip, unable to proceed. On the one hand, she could snuff the little flirtatious flame between them right now, adamantly refusing to veer from their rule of _friends for now._

But… on the _other_ hand, she _really_ liked the little flutter of her heart when she considered more saucy options.

Alas, the choice was made for her as a quickfire round of texts came from the redhead.

' _Oh my god, I didn't mean it like that!'_

' _As in if you come over early, we don't have to make out'_

' _Not that I don't want to, cuz I do. A lot'_

' _Just cuz ya know we're on that probation thing and all, being just friends'_

' _Friends make out, right? Yeah! We can make out, just in a friendly way!"_

Elsa snorted and out an echoing guffaw at that last text. Her face was beet red, even she, in all of her nearly friendless glory throughout her life, was sure that slobbering on someone's mouth for an extended period of time did _not_ constitute friendship. She could imagine the smirk on Anna's face, her freckled cheeks painted red. Elsa's spine shivered in delight. She bit her lip, choosing her retort carefully.

' _I suppose the lines of friendship are blurry.'_ Is what she settled on sending the girl.

Anna sent back a few strange and intriguing laughing faces with tears flying from their faces. A few seconds went by, and another question came from the younger girl.

' _So what time are you coming over to blur the lines?'_

With a roll of her eyes, Elsa gave her a guestimate. Her heart was still pounding. She knew they wouldn't actually be doing anything like… that, but her imagination seemed to think it had a _'get out of jail free'_ card, running wild with everything _Anna_ it could muster. The towel, so exposing; their singular kiss, still lighting a spark in Elsa's lips when she thought about it; the overnight and morning cuddles; their rather incessant _flirting_ that night.

Where that flirting would one day lead.

Her heart skipped a beat.

What it'd feel like to press her body to Anna's, expansive skin-to-skin contact exciting every hair on her body.

Her breath hitched.

The way Anna crawled towards her on the bed, eyes dark, seductively biting her perfect, soft, pink-now-turned-red lower lip, lowly whispering in her ear. The way they could soon- hopefully soon- _now,_ preferably- continue that action, Anna capturing her lips with her own passionately- _oh God you need to stop this now-_ pushing her back onto her sheets. Elsa felt an immense pressure building, she knew _exactly_ what it was. The image of Anna remained, she needed to- needed to-

Her phone sounded again, indicating another text. Blinking several times, she slowly regained her bearings. _I'd really been daydreaming_. And maybe drooling. But she didn't want to admit that to herself just yet. That was an Anna thing. _And a you thing, now._ Her eyes fell to her device. Kristoff, to the group chat.

' _Chocolate is a food, Anna.'_

The blonde girl giggled at the very Kristoff denial of the incredibly _Anna_ outlook that chocolate was too great to not be its own category.

She slid her phone into her pocket with a bemused smile. Releasing her backpack from her shoulders, she hopped into a familiar car. "Hi, dad."

"Hey, kiddo. How were exams?" If he noticed her pink cheeks, he did not indicate so.

* * *

They did not make out. Yes, to Anna's disappointment, but not to her surprise. The lines weren't _that_ blurry. If they were, she'd need glasses. Relationship glasses. And probably wouldn't have many friends left.

But that doesn't mean their time was uneventful! Quite the opposite, actually. Anna oh so discreetly wore a blue tank-top (cerulean, to be precise; Elsa's favorite. Anna felt a sense of ecstatic pride at knowing that. It wasn't common knowledge.) that she may or may not have bought _solely_ because she knew her _almost_ partner liked seeing her in such a color. Her shorts; well she opted for some old but not faded pajama shorts. Old enough to be too small. A size too small. _Maybe two._

Anna was very aware that her shorts left no curve nor crease hidden, and that they were _short_ on her, to put it modestly. She'd definitely have to change into less… _well, let's be frank here-_ less slutty bottoms before people other than Elsa showed up.

For now, they had exactly the desired effect. Anna watched, feigning innocence as appalled _and uh, hungry?_ Blue eyes widened and blinked. Alabaster cheeks painted tomato red as Elsa's mouth floundered. Anna ate it up: the swell in her heart at the sheer and downright unfair amount of adorable, the pressure between her legs brought forth by simply _knowing_ that _she_ had this effect on Elsa.

"Like them?" the younger girl teased, purposefully gesturing to not just her shorts, but legs as well.

"I um, I, well- I-" Elsa seemed to break from her trance. "Aren't you cold?"

Anna smirked. "You know you're allowed to look, Elsa." She took a step forward, devilish grin and scarlet cheeks. She felt the blonde's hair stand on end as she whispered in her ear, dripping her husky words with innuendo and letting her hot breath trickle down a sensitive neck. "I _like_ it when you look." _Note to self,_ she thought in response to the delightful shudder she received in turn. _Try nibbling Elsa's ear. In the future! When we-_

The notion caught her breath.

 _Trigger points,_ she grinned.

The redhead was caught off guard when hearing a whispering voice. "perhaps I should have worn something less modest." Did Elsa just wink? Not fair, _so_ not fair!

Biting her lip, face and shoulders flushing, Anna retorted. "Modest looks good on you." She winked. "After all, I wouldn't want anyone looking at what's _mine_."

Risqué? Yes. Presumptuous? Extremely. Unwelcome? _Well,_ based upon Elsa's expression and blush, absolutely not. Anna grinned. _Elsa likes a little bit of possessiveness._ "Speaking of," the freckled flirt continued, "I'm gonna go change into something more- er- _presentable._ " She intentionally bent over to pick up a wrapper, glancing over her shoulder and not missing the widened, darkened blue eyes scan over her rather well displayed rear.

Continuing with a smug smirk, she also noted Elsa's subdued biting of her lip.

Oh, how perfect it would have been if Anna _hadn't_ tripped over her own feet on the way out the door! Elsa's hearty laugh followed her down the hallway.

In no time at all (well, about 15 minutes by Elsa's count), Anna was dressed and had everything laid out, almost. Some melon and berries, because Elsa is a crazy healthy person and prefers to snack on fruit than salty stuff; some white cheddar popcorn because, hey, it's delicious; chips and dip, _classic_ ; Kristoff would be bringing the carrots; and most importantly, a _massive_ platter of assorted chocolates. That was where Anna would be consuming most of her calories that evening. She popped one into her mouth, savoring the delicious, melting sweetness against her tongue, watering for more at the explosion of delightful flavor. Sweet yet salty, when she got to the caramel center. She let out a pleased "mmm", sweet tooth haze begging for another taste.

When the first of the guests announced her arrival (Anna almost considered Elsa part of her family at this point. _Which, by the way, calls into question the acceptability of my feelings for her._ She chuckled), teal and blue eyes stared, widened in shock.

Anna blinked a few times. She was hallucinating.

Elsa held her finger up as if to make a point, only for it to fall futile by her side.

Rapunzel furrowed her brows, stepping forward. "Um, hey weirdos."

"Rapunzel, you're- your-"

"Where'd all your hair go!?" Anna shamelessly interrupted. "And why are you brunette now!?" Flustered, hands flailing, copper pig tails flapping, a very energetically _Anna_ expression of confusion.

"Oh yeah," she flipped her hand dismissively, as if this wasn't a monumental change that she should have _told_ Anna about! "Eugene cut my hair. Turns out, he's quite a good stylist, who'd have thunk!" She puffed her shortened _brown_ hair up briefly.

"And he likes brunettes," a nasally voice interrupted flatly as Pascal caught up to his older sister.

"Hey!" The newly brunette slapped the boy's arm, "that is _not_ what happened." When she met the expectant gazes of four feminine eyes, she explained. "Eugene cut my hair, but when he did, it just kinda turned brown. I don't' really know how else to explain it."

"You mean you dyed it?"

"No."

"Then how'd it turn brown?"

"I don't know!"

Anna put her hands on her hips. "You make it sound like you have magic hair or something. Which, by the way, would _not_ be fair because I'd be super jealous."

Rapunzel shrugged. "Look it freaked Eugene out, too. All he could say for like three days was 'her hair's magic, why's her hair magic?' Then he started blaming it on his ' _magical_ ' styling hand and got scared of his own dratted hand for like a week!" She went on to reinforce that _no,_ she does not know what happened, _no_ she does not know if it would turn blonde again if she grew it out (but perhaps she'll have to try), and _NO_ Eugene's hand is _not_ magic, get your mind out of the _gutter_ , Anna!

Spitfire questions railed like a bullet rain from auburn to brunette for several minutes, Elsa observing silently and amused. She really could not get over how cute Anna was. How expressive her motions were when she talked. Some people, they say, talk with their hands. Well, the feisty redhead talked with her _entire_ body. Shimmying when it's unnecessary, jumping, throwing her hands to the sky; for some reason spinning a braid in her hand. All the while, her voice jumped up and down, tenor and pitch changing at a staccato rate, a melody that Elsa could only hope her music ever matched in beauty.

It probably would not. Anna's mellifluous voice was perfectly imperfect. Hesitating here, speeding up there, speaking to no discernable tempo nor key, but ever interesting and eternally marvelous. Elsa found it as easy to get lost in as a beautiful classical sonata. She closed her eyes, allowing the music of Anna's conversation to caress her ears and fill her heart.

A voice that could hit the purest, most beautiful notes with practiced ease if Anna so desired. Playing in perfect melody to the tune of Elsa's piano.

 _Just like our personalities_ , she mused. _In perfect harmony._

Everything Anna did was just… enrapturing.

"Rapunzel, that's absolutely crazy!" That very same voice retorted to something or other that Elsa had not bothered to submit to memory. Or even listen to in the first place.

"Not as crazy as you and Elsa _still_ not dating. I mean, come on, what's up with that!" She flipped her hand, well, flippantly.

With a playful roll of her eyes, Anna was at the side of her tomato of a friend in no time. "I'll have you know that we're just being _responsible_ for once, you should try-"

"What's up everyone?" A loud voice interrupted, Kristoff leading the way for Sven to make an entrance. He took a gander around the room, assessing the situation carefully (maybe, Elsa couldn't tell), and quietly placing his carrots and ranch on the snack table. He nodded to Rapunzel. "Nice haircut."

She proudly stood, shoulders taut and straight, chin up. "Thank you."

And all three girls burst out laughing.

* * *

The five friends eventually but amiably settled on a movie, atmosphere painted and ordained with light commentary, joking, and the near constant fluttering of laughter. Comradery fleshed out, no one individual feeling left out, no strained atmosphere seething in the air. Simply pleasant. Light.

Of course, each person knew the silent reason behind the laxed atmosphere, though it remained unspoken. Elsa, perhaps, knew best of all; however, Anna was not far behind in understanding. Having now seen but merely tasting the full potential of the relationships around her, and one in particular.

She settled herself on the couch, the lighthearted comedy movie that Elsa had suggested of her own volition having been well received with unanimous approval. Her shoulder brushed against the older girl's, the contact still spreading warmth through her heart and soul. She smiled, freely leaning in to the contact, placidly but thankfully drinking in what more she reasonably could.

Elsa looked at her with a smile and a blush. The lights went dark with a faint _click_ as Kristoff readied the room for a cinematic experience, Rapunzel no less than leaping onto the spot to Anna's right. Kristoff squeezed himself in on the far side of the couch, Sven planting himself per usual on the beige carpeted floor. Pascal opted for a chair across the room.

And Elsa, of course, had poised herself at one side of the couch, her stature not defensive, but rather relaxed. Anna did note that, happily. Blue eyes still grinned into aquamarine, even in the dark. The low light from the television screen highlighted Anna's adorably rounded yet somewhat high-boned cheeks, and her freckles were just a suggestion in the glimmer. Her eyes held brightness. A happiness reserved just for Elsa, and that thought made the elder's heart flutter.

Without thinking, she took Anna's hand in her own, tangling their fingers together. It felt so natural, so _right._ So fascinating, stunning, marvelous to be able to freely take such an action. When the freckled cheeks only dimpled farther from an even wider grin, Elsa's heart raced once more. Though her cheeks were hot, the colored translation of which she was sure Anna could see, especially at this proximity, she just let herself feel light and smiley, turning her attention _mostly_ to the television.

Anna was still in that cerulean tank top.

Stillness settled between them, both forms quietly enjoying the movie. Though, Elsa noted, it wasn't exactly a movie that required undivided attention. Perhaps that's why she found her mind wandering like a lunatic. _Not a lunatic,_ Elsa reminded herself. Just like someone who's crazy _about_ someone. About Anna. The presence at her side, the warmth of freckled hands in her own, fingers laced together in a meaningful entrapment. A bridge between the two, symbolizing their ever deepening and shared emotions. She knew the Vena Amoris was nothing more than a myth, but could not deny the connection she felt to Anna's heart in that moment. Open, vulnerable, trusting, _understanding._

A tiny sniffle made itself known by Elsa's side. She snapped her head to attention. Distant teal eyes looked to meet her own. Concern clenching her heart and no doubt writing its presence on her face, the elder silently questioned. _What's wrong?_

Anna smiled, small and tight, yet tender. She sighed, wiping a glimmering tear from her eye. "Just," she glanced down, fiddling with Elsa's hand in her own. A tense moment passed as she considered her words, letting the silence partially fill in the blank. When Anna took a deep breath in, bringing her free hand to hold her side because talking was difficult, Elsa understood.

"Processing?"

An appreciative smile and a nod. "Yeah." A few seconds ticked by, though that was a general guess. It could have been longer, maybe shorter. Who knows how time truly passes when you're met with such a caring, contemplative look from steely blue eyes?

The warmth in Anna's hand vanished, fingers now left forlorn with the tactile memory of their partners. Only moments of dismay and longing befell the redhead until an arm timidly found its way around her shoulders, pulling her even closer. She shuddered in comforted delight, shifting her weight to snuggle into the side of the one that made her feel so safe. Fitting their bodies together like puzzle pieces, Anna reached her arm to wrap it around Elsa's stomach. Her cheek met silken fabric (well, cotton, probably) as she rested upon Elsa's chest.

Elsa peered down at the girl in her arms. An urge overcame her. It's not like they hadn't blurred the proverbial lines of their friendship before, right? What was one little one? Especially now, when Anna was feeling so troubled? Daringly, breath held and the pounding of her heart enveloping at least three of her five senses, Elsa pressed a soft, tender kiss to Anna's warm forehead.

Her stomach clenched as she pulled away almost instantly. There it was again, pernicious and overbearing. Doubt. Did she go too far? Was she interfering with Anna's processing? Would she- Elsa gulped at the thought- end up preventing Anna from properly processing everything and thus hurting her? _I shouldn't have done that. That was_ not _something friends do!_

Her worry was dispelled entirely, however, when Anna let out a soft coo and clung tighter, markedly more relaxed. Elsa smiled easily. She had not overstepped. "Crush-friend," she murmured, garnering Anna's confused attention. She smirked. "That's what I've been calling you. For now. Crush-friend."

Anna grinned, the noise she made could really only be described as a purr. She repeated, somewhat to herself "for now."

Elsa blushed furiously, only now realizing the fuchsia hue in Anna's cheeks and lovable little button nose. With a silly grin, she nodded into aqua eyes.

"My crush-friend," Anna tested the words aloud, her cheeks dimpling as she did. _Adorable._ "I like it," she hugged.

"Oh my _God_ ," an exasperated groan rudely interrupted the rather cherished little moment, making Rapunzel's presence _very_ well known. "Could you two _stop_ making eye love for _two_ seconds and watch the movie!?"

Anna erupted into laughter, both girls blushing but not bothering to hide their flushed faces from one-another. She settled herself back into what she now deemed _her spot_ against Elsa's side, rested her head right where it belonged on the older girl. Although unsure whether they were doing this whole _probation_ thing correctly, she smiled to herself.

Because as long as Elsa's arms were around her, she knew everything was right.


	17. Elsa, The Protector

_A/N: Hello! Thank you so much for your patience with this chapter being a little later than normal. I've already started chapter 18 :)_

 _Until then, you're awesome, thank you so much! and most importantly, enjoy :)_

* * *

Everything was absolutely not okay! Awful! Terrible!

Elsa was working on college applications. Which meant that she was absolutely _not_ paying attention to Anna! _Terrible!_

Anna watched instead of doing her own work. The dull, grey afternoon clashing with the mediocre, harsh yellow light of Elsa's bedroom was even a flattering composition on the elder's light palette. That didn't even make sense. _It's just not fair, honestly._ Anna wondered, totally, completely, _definitely_ not jealously, how Elsa could look so good no matter what.

She continued to observe how the girl's face minutely changed as she went through her work. The way Elsa's brow furrowed in concentration, lightly crinkling her smooth forehead, her eyes narrowed in focus. The way Elsa's tongue poked just out of the corner of her mouth as the clacking from her keyboard took concentrated pauses for seconds at a time. It sorta kinda reminded Anna of when a cat gets distracted bathing itself. Looking up in confusion, unknowing that its tongue is still flopping out of its mouth.

Olaf did that a lot.

Anna giggled.

Elsa smirked, eyes still trained on her screen, probably proof reading her personal statement _again._ Anna's own computer sat on the bed, now asleep due to inactivity. "Hmm?"

"Nothing," a dismissive shrug, but still tittering.

A challenging eyebrow raised, sky blue eyes shifting their focus to freckled, smiling cheeks. Anna _really liked_ that expression. She shifted on her knees as Elsa spoke. "It's clearly not nothing."

"It's nothing but you being cute."

Elsa blushed, belying her silly little grin by looking away. She went back to editing her application, but not before quietly mumbling "not as cute as you." Quietly enough that she was probably expecting that Anna wouldn't hear.

But she did hear. And it made Anna feel all warm and smiley inside, and all pink on the outside.

"And you should probably finish up your application, too." Elsa glanced at the now all but abandoned laptop. "If it hasn't timed out yet," she teased.

That did not make Anna feel as warm and smiley.

Quite the opposite, really. _My application. To college._ She gazed at the dear friend and _so_ much more before her, a lump forming in her throat alongside longing in her heart.

She opted to throw a piece of popcorn at her crush-friend.

"Agh, Anna!" She mostly laughed, putting her hands up and curling defensively all too late as the offending kernel bounced off the delicate bridge of her nose and directly into her shirt.

"Why do my work when I can watch you do yours?"

Elsa noted the delayed onset of Anna's smile, her less pronounced than normal dimples. "And waste your snack food in the process?"

"You're worth wasting food for," she batted her long lashes, giving the sweetest possible face.

In fairness, the elder _did_ have to choke back a rather loud and sudden laugh. She snarkily retorted "Awe, I'm worth a piece of popcorn? That's so sweet." As she finished speaking, so did she complete fishing the rather lucky little morsel out from where it nestled between her breasts, flicking it back at Anna.

In a show of momentary agility, Anna caught the popcorn in her mouth and swallowed it. " _Actually,_ it's savory. And look, no food wasted after all!"

Elsa was sure the perplexion she felt within was written on her face. "That was kinda gross, Anna."

"How is that gross when we'd _definitely_ have no problem licking each other _right_ smack dab in the-" she turned bright red, Elsa surmised that this was the moment that Anna's brain caught up to her rather eager mouth. "I'm gonna just- just gonna- well I'll stop right there. Sound good? Yeah, good. Eheh"

Elsa shifted in her seat, her flushed body reflexively searching for something somewhat firm to press on for just a moment, now that she had _that_ picture in her mind. She took a deep breath, fighting the urge to fan herself, and sharply snapped her attention back to her computer. She didn't even dare a glance back at Anna, so she was not privy to the comical shade of crimson the girl had become. "The- the um- the sooner we finish our applications, the sooner we can go get hot chocolate." She tactfully changed the subject.

"Ughh, but I don't _wanna_ work," Anna whined, throwing her body back with a subdued _thump_ against the mattress.

"It's a lot easier to get it done if you _pretend_ to be more mature than a five-year-old."

Anna's voice came back muffled. Apparently, she had her arm dramatically draped over her face. "But Elsaaa," she complained, continuing in-character. "I want truffles, too!"

Elsa laughed, affectionately rolling her baby blue eyes. "Let's finish here, then _maybe_ , if you're good, we can get truffles, too." Obviously, she had nothing but intention of adding truffles to their roster of dessert tonight, now that Anna asked for them.

"You sure you don't want me to be a _bad_ girl?" Anna sat up, winking.

Elsa's eyes bulged unnaturally large, she felt the blood rush to her face, neck, and shoulders. Ears burning, breath held taut, she choked out a frantic "Anna! Work! Now!"

At that, they settled back into their routine. Elsa couldn't help but notice Anna adjust in her seat and shift her eyes. Her shoulders became looser, hanging just a little lower with her chin.

As minutes dripped along like molasses, it became disconcerting when the elder realized that that look of disinterest in unfocused teal eyes wasn't simply that. Elsa chewed her lip in concern, watching as Anna pretended to work, only to idly scroll on her phone a short while later. When she was caught staring, she shied her gaze away, back to her own screen, but was shot a little smile nonetheless. It looked... strained.

She knew what was wrong. Or, at least, Elsa was _pretty sure_ she knew what was wrong. After all, quite a litany of issues had befallen Anna in a short amount of time. She still had a lot to work through. Elsa didn't even realize she was holding her breath. Or staring. _Again._

Still, she hesitated. Anna hadn't brought anything up. What if she just needed to handle this on her own?

Why'd that thought hurt?

Maybe Elsa was overthinking this. _Or maybe I'm not._

"Anna?" she said before her brain could really catch up. The red head looked up. "Are um- is everything okay?"

There was a soft sigh cutting the air as Anna ran a hand through her hair. She seemed to gather her thoughts for a few moments. She gestured her arms to her computer. "Are we- are we gonna, you know, keep in- keep in touch?"

A few silent, expectant seconds slipped by as Elsa garnered her meaning. It wasn't what she expected, but it was no less uncomfortable. Her heart clenched. Now their subject matter better fit the gray, clouded, bitter cold, and damp weather outside her window. Funny, at that very moment, the world was getting dark. "Of course," she whispered.

Anna nodded, mostly to herself, and licked her lips. She didn't want to be overly presumptuous about the implied but thus far unrealized nature of their relationship, so she held back several of her other questions. "Okay," she breathed. Then, to lighten the mood, she added "as if I'd ever let you escape from me anyway." She grinned a little.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "'As if you'- as if _I'd_ let you fall off of the face of the Earth, silly." Anna giggled. It stifled a little of each girls' concern, but Elsa still choked down her consideration of what their relationship would become.

Because it really brought up a troublesome fact.

A truth she could not avoid, no matter what she did.

Unwilling or unable to face it right then, she focused on her day with Anna. Not the past, not the future. Just _now._

* * *

"So, how was archery yesterday anyway? I forgot to ask." Anna clung to Elsa that evening, arm in arm as they walked through a dark, brisk downtown street. Technically speaking, Christmas was twenty-seven hours away, if one was counting, which Elsa was. The two were huddled, not only for warmth, moseying down the sidewalk to their dessert destination: a small, local chocolate factory. Famous for its cocoa and truffles. What a coincidence. It's like Anna knew the place intimately.

The night time air seemed to silence most of the surrounding noise, save for the occasional roar of a passing car or chatter of a passing couple. White, resplendent lights dangled elegantly along the walkways, buildings, and trees; the girls' breath billowing and glistening in the festive illumination. In the distance, at the other end of the main, drag stood a mighty and perfectly decorated tree. It must have been fifty feet tall, hung head to toe with coordinated ornaments and lights. Families and friends took merriment pictures before it, and Elsa heard the piercing laugh of a child playing on it.

"It was fine," she began, her voice warm in contrast to the chilling air. Anna raised an eyebrow. Something she'd picked up from Elsa, who got the hint and elaborated. "Merida said I'm getting better, that soon we might be able to do it competitively." The elder shrugged modestly. The street they were strolling seemed to act as a wind tunnel, just an excuse to snuggled a little closer.

"Elsa! That's way better than just _'fine',_ that's like- like great! Or fantastic! Or absolutely incredible because you're amazing, if you'd like to go that far!" She then took a moment to cop a feel of Elsa's rather toned biceps. "And I'll say you're ready for competitive archery," she fawned.

Bashfully blushing and biting her lip, Elsa mentioned "it was exciting, yes, but it's more fun when you're there. Oh, and Merida said we need to start 'strength training'"- she made air quotes with her free hand, pulling Anna out of a collision path with a street lamp with her other - "turns out she meant rock climbing."

"You went rock climbing without me?" Again with that quirked eyebrow, and if Elsa didn't find it so sexy, she'd probably have had the peace of mind to tell Anna to stop stealing her moves.

She chuckled, rolling her head a little. "No, no we didn't go yesterday. Later this week."

With a victorious nod, the younger quipped "good, because I want to be there to see your first attempt at climbing walls."

Now, it was Elsa's turn to use _her own_ look. One eyebrow up in a challenging position, she smirked at Anna. "You just want an excuse to stare at my butt."

"Hey hey, it'd be enjoyment enough to watch you fall on your butt." With an impish wink dissolving flawlessly into an innocent pout, she effortlessly teased "but also, yeah, guilty as charged," with a joyful bump of the shoulder.

Elsa didn't feel so cold. In fact, her neck and face felt particularly warm with their new found blush, and even in the heavy glow of the Christmas lights bathing the heavenly beauty before her, she could see the belying crimson encroaching upon Anna's confident facade.

"I guess that means I'll have a chance to watch your butt, too."

"I'll wear extra tight pants, just for you, then."

The blonde's heart skipped a beat or two or three, and she nearly stumbled over her own feet. She recovered without falling, thankfully, and opened her mouth to speak only for it to slam shut when her brain couldn't work itself out of a fit. Once again, she attempted to vocalize anything but a squeak, failing to do so before being interrupted.

"Anna?" A familiar, smooth, yet all too imposing and intrusive voice broke their banter.

Panic beset upon Anna, entrapping her heart with a forceful, frozen grip and stealing the life out of frantic lungs. She'd hardly had time to register the boy stepping towards her when he was occluded by Elsa's body.

"Stay away from her!" The blonde's voice cut loud and confident through the fragile night as she placed herself immediately between Hans and Anna. Her shoulders were pulled back, chest out, and fists by her side.

Anna let her breath out.

"I just want to talk to-"

"No."

Hans tried to side step, Elsa guarded.

He became frustrated, grunting and trying again. "Get out of my way, freak!"

"Stay away, Hans," a wavering voice demanded. It sounded more like a request. Elsa glanced back to see Anna standing behind her, uneasy but standing tall. She smiled. _That's my Anna._

Returning her now pointed attention to the boy, Elsa threatened "if you take one step forward, so help my God, I'll-"

"You'll what? What could _you_ possibly do?" Cocky, confident. Maybe time to kick him in the _cocky_.

"I'll- I'll-" Elsa balled her fists, knuckles turning white. "You'll regret it."

He leaned in so his face was just inches from her own. "Oh, I don't think I will," he growled. His breath stank.

Then he tried to shove Elsa aside. Anna yelped, jumping back, and before the blonde knew what she was doing, her knuckles were connecting sidelong into his punchable, big nose with a _thud_ and a _CRACK!_

He stumbled sideways, clutching his face, sanguine liquid dribbling from betwixt his digits. Brown eyes widened in disbelief for a moment. "Did- did you? You- you just- You BITCH!"

Elsa advanced. "Stay away from Anna," she growled lowly. She surprised herself with how threatening her voice sounded. "Or I'll break it again."

"And I'll spit on you!" Anna's voice rang from behind the victor, her freckled fist pumping into the air, and Elsa had to try really hard not to giggle because Anna was just too freaking cute sometimes.

"Now git."

"This isn't over, asshole," he snarled, but she didn't give him the satisfaction of her attention. From behind, she heard his angry huff and footsteps retreating. Shaking her now sore hand, she met familiar aquamarine eyes.

Adrenaline wearing off, they were ridden with tears now.

Elsa gasped.

"Anna!" She rushed to her, a tender hand cupping the younger girl's slightly rounded cheek. "Anna are you okay?"

"Elsa- I- you- he just- I was scared, but you- then he- and- and then you- you protected me," she sputtered, walking a very thin line between crying and laughing. "You're so brave- you- I don't even know what to say, you put yourself in danger, for _me_?"

Elsa smiled, blinking back her own brining eyes, hot tears tickling along her lids. "Of course, Anna," she assured as a delicate freckled cheek leaned into her palm. Anna closed her eyes, a peaceful, affectionate smile resting placidly upon her face. The moment felt so... _intimate_ and private, despite being downtown. "I always will," she muttered without exactly thinking it through.

When Anna gasped and lit up, standing just a little straighter but not pulling away, Elsa knew she struck a chord with the girl. Anna sniffled, her little button nose scrunching up just the slightest, and she opened her eyes. They were watering, but alight with such deep and thorough _joy_ and affection. Between another sniffle and a sob, she choked out "can I- can I kiss you, again?"

This time, the elder's heart stopped beating altogether as time seemed to slow down. She drew a trembling breath rife with anticipation. Shaking herself in the stillness of time, she only just whispered when she exhaled. "I want nothing more."

And this time, when they kissed, it was less timid.

It lasted longer, Elsa was pretty sure, as they clung tightly to one another, Anna on her toes as they prolonged their lips' embrace.

No longer was it cold out as Anna began to move her lips against Elsa's, their beating hearts flush to one another, so close not just physically. Fledgling, Elsa followed the lead, their soft, tender, tactile lips falling into a dance sloppily at first, though they did eventually find a common tempo. Anna laced her hand into Elsa's hair on the back of her head and pressed in farther, lighting a sparking within the older's spine and weakening her knees. The rising motion of Anna's lips conveyed something that her mind had been dying to say, but her words failed to capture.

Elsa melted, no longer supporting the entirely of her own weight. Somewhere, in the back of her occupied mind, she was quite sure she knew what she was being told. Anna's tongue brushed hotly against red lips, which Elsa mercifully parted, allowing a new depth to the kiss and a novel type of dance to form between the two.

Her heart pounded, the hand pulled at her hair, Anna exhaled and the searing breath trickled into her mouth and across her cheeks and she wanted _more._

Eventually, they parted, panting and flush, Elsa needing to lean into Anna to support her overwhelmed body. They remained there, ragged breaths, foreheads still pressed together, and the remnant trade of saliva still tickling their lips, teasingly reminding them of every staggering sensation they'd just been enraptured by.

"We're really bad at this whole _probation_ thing," Anna mustered between gasps.

Elsa chuckled, strained from her lungs, but levity building the high within. "Yeah. Yeah we are."

"I don't really care." She shrugged.

"Neither- neither do I," the blonde agreed. A beat passed in silence as their eyes met, smiling.

"Chocolate," Anna chirped, biting her lower lip.

Grinning, Elsa nodded. "Hot chocolate." They resumed their leisurely stroll towards fresh dessert, still arm in arm, but Anna now resting her head against her protector's shoulder. She reveled in the contact and her steps felt a little bit lighter. Elsa was still having a little trouble walking, but she managed.

"And truffles! Don't forget about truffles," Anna jabbed her finger in mock aggression onto Elsa's chest.

A beautiful, melodic laugh rang out from Elsa's mouth. She stifled a smirk by chewing on her own lip. "And truffles."

* * *

The night was thick, surrounding Elsa in her room as she fretted over her journal, pen in hand, fingers unsure where to begin verbalizing her thoughts. So much had happened that day. Her and Anna's brief conversation about college was festering, poisoning the girl with discomfort and heavy, dreadful concepts. She thought back to Kristoff's ice sculptures. Magnificent, but transient. The moments with them were enough for Kristoff.

But would that be enough for her?

Her heart sank.

Would that be enough for Anna? For _them_?

Elsa swallowed a thick lump in her throat. Her mind felt a little jumbled and overwhelmed with all it was feeling and processing, but one thought came through clearly time and time again as she sat in deep contemplation.

She didn't want Anna to be temporary.

She wanted Anna to be permanent.

And that just circled right back to her rather uncomfortable epiphany earlier. That inevitable fact. Elsa sighed deeply. She finally put pen to paper, making real her brutal truth.

 _When I leave for college, I will hurt Anna._


	18. I'm Dreaming of a

_A/N: Diabetic Ketoacidosis, anyone?_

 _Enjoy the sweet fluff while you can ;)_

* * *

"Ughh, does it _ever_ snow in Arendelle?" Anna peered out the window at the crisp, dry December afternoon, distinctly lacking a certain white powder. _Not drugs,_ she clarified unnecessarily to herself.

Her and Elsa were perched on the living room couch, snuggled up together like, well, two birds of a feather would be. They had a shared blanket draped over their bodies, Elsa's arm around Anna, who laid her contented cheek upon an inviting upper chest. _My spot,_ she placidly reminded herself, thinking back to their most recent movie night.

A fire crepitated in the backdrop, it's crackling orange flames bathing the room with not only physical warmth, but the soft hue of cozy, warm colors. Upon the TV played the classic _White Christmas_ , quietly, blending into the background chatter coming from the next room over. _How topical,_ Anna jested to herself.

They had struck an easy deal. They'd spend half of Christmas at each house. Anna had arrived at Elsa's at the buttcrack of dawn- well, at least Anna's version of that, which was about nine-thirty in the morning, and after lunch she drove the elder back to her own home. Kai had graciously invited both Agnarr and Idunn for holiday dinner alongside their daughter. The three adults sat in the dining room until the roast was ready, surrendering the living room to provide the girls some space and privacy. But not too much.

So, really, Elsa got to spend the _entirety_ of Christmas with her family _and_ Anna. _Cheater,_ the redhead smirked, glancing at the girl. She wore a new hoodie. The smirk tilted into a full grin. A mint green hoodie, with a custom snowflake print on the chest. No, it didn't make sense, but Elsa loved it, and that's all that really mattered.

Anna, on the other hand, and by nothing but her incredible force of will, kept herself from playing that new game that Elsa got her for Christmas. She must have remembered.

"Hmm," the blonde considered thoughtfully. "No, no lot a lot. But we usually get some each year. Did it snow a lot where you used to live?" Elsa asked while she idly ran her finger through auburn tresses of hair.

Anna shivered in response to the delightful touch. "Not a lot, no. But it used to snow all the time when I was a kid." She shifted in her seat, sitting a little more upright and gazing out the window. Elsa's hand paused as she regarded Anna's saddened expression. "My dad and I we- well, I don't remember much about him, but I do remember that we'd always go out and build a snowman together. He always um-" she choked on her words, the subject clearly weighing on her. Elsa brought her hand down to lace her soft fingers together with Anna's, who looked down at the action with shimmering teal eyes. "He always had the strangest looking carrots to use as noses," she chuckled through the tightness in her throat and sniffled.

Elsa smiled warmly, gently. She squeezed the hand in hers. "He sounds like he had a good sense of humor."

Nodding and wiping a couple tears away, the redhead confirmed. "Yeah, yeah he did. And I'd- well, he'd always let me find the sticks for arms." A pained smile. "They never looked quite right, and the snowman was always lopsided, but he always said that it's perfect and he loves it-" she swallowed hard, closing her eyes and drawing a difficult breath in. "Then he'd bop me in the nose and say ' _just like you'._ "

Lightening the mood a little, but careful not to shut down the conversation, Elsa quipped "well then he sounds like a smart man, too."

Anna let out a breathy laugh, peering up at Elsa. Their faces were so close, reflecting the intimate moment. "Since then, I've- I've always loved the snow." Elsa had the urge to wipe a running tear and errant strand of hair away from the softly sobbing girl, but both of her hands were preoccupied. Anna pressed their joined hands against her heart and, with a shuddering breath, continued. "I guess- I guess in a way, it lets me feel closer to him. Like he's still here somehow. You know?" She looked hopefully up.

Elsa nodded, taking her time to find the right words as she searched the bereft and yearning eyes before her. "Yeah," she started, "it's good to have something like that, something to remember them by." She brushed her thumb over the back of Anna's hand soothingly, who, in response to both the action and the words, squeezed herself tightly into Elsa's side, burying her head near the crook of her neck. She pressed so tightly that Elsa was sure she was trying to crawl inside of her. She did add "when it snows, we'll build _all_ the snowmen."

Anna laughed, her body jerking against Elsa's and her breath splashing against her neck and shoulder. "I'd really like that," the younger said with tears in her voice.

Elsa rubbed a soothing hand up and down the other girl's back. "We'll get the strangest looking carrots we can."

Another giggle, and it was perhaps the most magical thing Elsa had heard that holiday season. With comically good timing, Kai hollered from the entrance to the living room "girls, dinner!" putting an end, at least momentarily, to their conversation.

"Phew," Anna said, sitting up. Elsa missed the bodily contact instantly, the cold air replacing Anna's warm touch and hand. Wiping away hair and staining, smeared tears from her face and nose, the redhead finished her joke. "All this moping and reminiscing really works up an appetite!"

Elsa laughed. "Indeed it does. I think you've earned yourself a feast fit for a queen." standing beside Anna, she was delighted when a freckled arm reached out and once again interlaced their fingers for the short walk to the dining room.

"You'll address me as none other than ' _your majesty'_ from now on," she proudly proclaimed, lifting her chin with hauteur.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Yes, your majesty."

Anna winked. "You know, I actually could get used to that."

She had already been in a good mood, but Anna's mood elevated more after her chat with Elsa. It had been a very long time since she was able to open up about her parents, and confiding in Elsa about it just felt- well it just felt so _right_. She didn't bother to wipe the stupid grin off her face as she led Elsa by the hand to the dining room.

The meal was jovial, the girls sitting side by side, Kai's boisterous laughter and the focal food helping shroud when Anna would lay her hand on Elsa's thigh, eliciting a delightfully adorable blush and smile. Or when Elsa would _accidentally_ brush her arm against Anna's when reaching for an item on the table. The little winks to each other and twirls of strawberry and platinum hair as they engaged their elders in lively conversation.

Or when they stopped caring altogether, and Anna rested her head affectionately against the side of Elsa's shoulder.

Agnarr met his daughter's eyes as he raised his glass for another drink, looking upon her with great pride and a loving, fatherly crinkle by his hazel eyes.

Elsa grinned back, lacing her fingers with Anna's, but not peeling her gaze away from her parents. She wondered, really wondered, if she had ever lived a moment as happy as that instant.

She couldn't think of any to compare.

"I propose a toast," he said, ringing in the eventful evening and bringing his glass upwards. "To new friends, family, and loved ones."

"To loved ones," Kai summarized, meeting the other man's glass with his own. Idunn smiled, raking her eyes around the room and allowing them to pause for several seconds on her beloved daughter. She rang her drink around, too, the girls lifting their less adult beverages to meet in the air.

"To crush-friends," Anna smirked, just loud enough for Elsa to hear. She was met with a blush and a nod, not to forget about the tightening of a cool hand in hers.

Bellies satiated and merry, the girls dismissed themselves. "Come on, Elsa, you've made me wait for long enough to play my game!" The bubbly girl pulled Elsa by the hand as she skipped out of the room, braids- and Elsa- flailing about in her wake of jubilee.

"But I didn't- ah! Anna, careful!" She dodged an errant wall. Who put that there anyway?

Their voices bled away as the sound of footsteps on stairs rumbled the house. "Door open!" Kai hollered loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

The only response he got was a dramatic and drawn out "Duhhh!" from his niece. He laughed and rolled his eyes.

Agnarr had watched them with a soft smile gracing his relatively un-aged features for his age. He held Idunn's hand in his own, moving to meet Kai's eyes. "You know, Elsa has really come out of her shell this year-" he glanced at his wife, ensuring that they were on the same page. She nodded. "And I do believe we have Anna- and you of course- mostly to thank for that."

"There's nothing that makes us prouder than to see our little Elsa growing into her own young woman," Idunn added, placing her free hand on top of her and her husband's held ones. "Anna's a very good kid, she has the kindest heart of anyone we could have asked for for our daughter."

Kai nodded, understanding the implicit meaning behind the words. His heart filled with pride as well, as he looked at the now empty passageway to the next room. He spoke honestly, agreeing with the married couple, a loving smile tugging upwards at the corner of his commonly affable mouth. "Indeed. I do believe that Elsa has been a force for good in Anna's life as well." He paused, choosing his words. "Anna is bright, and the kindest child I could hope to raise, but she carries a tremendous pain inside." His eyes glanced to Agnarr's, then Idunn's. He did not have to explain for them to know what tormented Anna. "From where I'm sitting, Elsa has helped her immensely with this pain. I do believe that they have been- and will continue to be- very good for each other."

And Agnarr could see the tears beginning to glisten in the man's eyes. He smiled, raising his glass once more. "To healing, to growth, to happiness." He paused momentarily, "both Elsa's and Anna's."

* * *

"Oh come on no no no no no!" Anna kept muttering under her breath as Elsa watched her character run nimbly through a hellfire of bullets, desperately trying to find cover. This game was violent, intense, and she was surprised at how much it gripped her, even as a spectator. Her heart clenched, on the edge of her seat as Anna dove her character behind a wall just a split second too late "oh COME ON!" the redhead practically shouted in exasperation. She lay prone, propped up on her elbows at the foot of her bed while Elsa lounged behind, back relaxing against the headboard. Elsa was pretty sure that some of Anna's butt-wiggles were on purpose.

Anna's character respawned, she hunkered down, mentally preparing herself for another go at the rather intense firefight. Focus. Anna needed to focus. Nothing but this moment existed. Winning. She'd win! _CRACK_ went the first gunshots, and Anna dove into action-

"Elsa!" The voice coming from _in her room_ caused _both_ girls to jump and look.

"Mr. Snoww!" Anna whined, rolling on her back dramatically after the distraction cost her game character dearly, "you killed me!"

Agnarr chuckled. "Sorry Anna, I forget how dangerous your life becomes sometimes." She just narrowed her eyes playfully at him. He turned his attention to Elsa. "It's time to go, kiddo."

"Oh um, ok-"

"Can't she stay a little longer?" Anna begged sweetly.

He checked his watch. "It's getting quite late already."

"I'll drive her back," the redhead offered. Elsa blushed.

"That's very nice of you, Anna, but we would like _some_ time with our daughter today," the man joked in a good-natured manner.

"Fine," she conceded, her tenor over the top, "I supposed you can have her back now."

Elsa giggled and somewhat reluctantly got off of the bed. She turned to Anna, who was now standing up, too. "I um," the blonde stated nervously, peering at the ground and all-too aware that her father was standing just a few feet away. She shifted her gaze to Anna, to her bright eyes, her impressive grin, and her cute, soft cheeks and freckles. She stepped close. "I'll-" she tried again, but the words caught in her throat.

Anna smiled encouragingly, but did not interrupt.

"I'll miss you," she finally settled on.

"Awe, I'll miss you, too, Elsa," Anna cooed, pulling her into a tight hug. The contact rendered Elsa's heart liquid, reveling in the contact between the two. Soft auburn bangs playfully tickled her cheek and the tip of her nose, the faint scent of strawberry conditioner mingling amiably with her senses. Anna's chin rested perfectly on her dainty shoulder. Elsa's heart buzzed, but she still wanted _more._

Then they pulled away, and the night was coming to a close, and Elsa didn't want it to. She stood there, biding time, eyes awkwardly roaming as her hands came to play with her braid. Her face was bright red, and Anna could tell she was waiting on- or contemplating- something. Azure eyes lowered to Anna's lips, and the redhead could almost _feel_ the contact they both yearned for in that moment. Her heart skipped a beat in anticipation, lips now tingling like pins and needles. Anna's eyes flickered to Mr. Snow, and understanding of Elsa's hesitation clicked like a light switch in her mind.

But just then, Elsa stole herself. She placed her lips timidly on Anna's, the ghostlike contact sending a shiver of delight and desire along the base of her spine. Breath hitched, the red lips parted from Anna's own all too soon and it was much too long before Anna rose from her delighted reverie to open her longing eyes. She chewed her lip because they seemed to want to pucker and grin at the same time; and her heart was beating too fast for her to bother counting it.

Elsa doing that in front of her father- effectively one of their _probation officers_ \- meant- well it meant- it meant that Anna would be way too excited to sleep that night! She purred blithely, holding her hands to her warm and fuzzy chest, replaying the simple but profound action in her mind's fond eye.

Elsa was fighting the urge to skip down the hallway. She felt- she felt warm and happy and excited and brave and proud and- and- her heart was pounding _so hard_ and the butterflies in her stomach were all grown up and ready to escape she just- _agh!_ Elsa was literally vibrating with excitement! Her dad could feel that, could see it, but she didn't care.

After all, how could she? The way Anna made her feel, the way her father had looked at her proudly, approval written shamelessly on his visage during dinner!

Three little words came to mind.

And Elsa wondered, was this what love felt like?


	19. Foreplay

_A/N: WARNING: Sexual content. But somehow I don't think you all will mind reading it ;)_

 _By the way, is softcore smut a thing? Because this chapter is five thousand words of softcore smut._

* * *

She'd done it!

Anna had actually done it!

She'd convinced Elsa to go to the New Year's celebration downtown! A massive gathering of thousands of individuals, couples, and groups, all coalescing in the frigid, unforgiving Winter bite to partake in watching the ritualistic countdown and New Year's acorn drop (yes, acorn. Why? No one knew. And probably no one would ever know, but that's what Arendelle city had decided to drop each ear to mark the extinction of yesteryear and the birth of new opportunities- a giant, metal, shiny _acorn_ ).

Okay so maybe it wasn't _that_ much convincing that Elsa needed. In fact, Elsa perhaps had confided in Anna that she had always _wanted_ to go watch the acorn drop, but never had anyone- or any friends, to go with. Anna's heart had welled with tears when her Elsa confided about this and she was proud of herself for only spending the next fifteen straight minutes hugging the older girl.

The point was that they were here, downtown, hand in hand in line to get a couple of giant pretzels. The crowd downtown was dense, shoulder-to-shoulder traffic everywhere one turned, the loud roar of a thousand conversations pitting up against the blast of carnival music, trinket sellers, and food stands blurring into a background noise so intense that one nearly had to yell in normal conversation. The mouth-watering aroma of fried junk food drizzled through the air in a cloud among the entire present population.

The surrounding skyscrapers lit up with red, gold, and green, illuminating the fading Christmas spirit for all to enjoy for one last night.

Anna peered around the crowd for the rest of their group. Merida was off expertly sniping prizes using a cork-gun that was clearly rigged, much to the carnie's visible dismay. Rapunzel and Flynn were trying on goofy new year's glasses and making utter fools of themselves, since they were both of age and Kristoff was lucky enough to be their dedicated driver- speaking of, where was that guy, anyway? Or Pascal? They must be off making trouble with Sven. The trifecta. The Three Stooges, likening themselves to think they were the Three Musketeers. Anna chuckled, returning her attention to her date.

"I'll take that silence as you conceding the point," Elsa's sarcastic voice cut through Anna's dillydallying.

She grinned wide and rolled her eyes when she looked into deep, ocean blue eyes, a challenging smirk gracing red lips. Elsa wore her new green hoodie, huddled close to Anna's side, allowing a detailed view of her light dusting of freckles down her moon-kissed cheeks. "Absolutely not, cinnamon pretzels will always be better than salted pretzels, that's just a fact," she quipped.

Elsa made a _"tsk"_ noise with her mouth and shook her head. Her bangs flared gently around the frame of her face, and her breath puffed. "I expected better from you, Anna."

"Who would even _want_ to give up that cinnamon sugar sweetness for boring old _salt_ , anyway?"

"Those of us with a more _refined_ palette, dear Anna."

She raised an eyebrow. "And, of the two of us, remind me _who_ was nicknamed _'her majesty'_ last week?"

"Ah, so we _are_ in agreement, salted pretzels are better than cinnamon sugar ones."

"I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree," the redhead giggled, and she once again let her gaze fall to supple red lips. They were lopsided now, twitching, betraying how hard Elsa was working _not_ to laugh. But, then again, so did that little glint in her perfectly cerulean eyes.

Anna's heart skipped a beat. _Because now I can do_ this _whenever I want,_ she mused as she leaned in and planted a kiss on Elsa's lips.

A jolt of electricity flashed through her at the contact, a heated urge to deepen the kiss settling in a heart that was now racing, then dripping down and pooling like steam her stomach. She got butterflies as Elsa returned the kiss, moving her lips softly against Anna's with no particular rhythm. _Funny, for such a musician, she really can't find a tempo here_.

But Anna didn't mind. She just parted her lips lightly and-

"Next up!" An assertive nasally voice snapped from the stand, snubbing the moment. Then kicking the moment. Then throwing the moment overboard to drown. _How rude._ Anna tactfully ignored the fact that they were, indeed, the ones to get in line in the first place.

Anna broke the kiss, a dopey smile stretching Elsa's flushed face in a way that Anna knew she'd never tire of. "What was that for?" Elsa asked like the silly girl she was. Her breath fogged in the air.

The younger girl shrugged, her cheeks warming despite the sub-freezing temperature out. "Because you're cute," she said.

Elsa blushed a brilliant shade of red, biting her grinning lip.

"I said next!"

Anna boldly jabbed a finger against the other girl's chest before really thinking. The fact that her hand was momentarily pressed upon a supple, sizable breast escaped neither girl. Nonetheless, Anna kept her hand true as she spoke, feeling pressure build right between her legs, her voice a little more choppy than usual. "To be continued."

A hot flashed ripped wildly through Elsa's body, her heart jumping at the touch, intentional or not. Her face and neck flushed aggressively as spike of longing graced her hips and her mind took Anna's words _way_ out of context- taking a moment to imagine that lithe, brave hand shifting to squeeze a now rather tingly breast. Maybe Anna would snake her hand underneath Elsa's jacket and- _okay okay, stop right there_. Elsa forced herself to breathe deep.

It was only then that she noticed, much to her embarrassment, that she had not responded to Anna.

They held hands for most of the remainder of the night- which was no easy feat while eating pretzels and finagling a crowd. As Anna led the elder through the hustle and bustle of packed streets, she perhaps intentionally pulled a little too hard on the lithe hand in hers to allow it to press momentarily on her backside. _Okay, fine, one-hundred_ _percent on purpose._ Her heart flittered each time she felt Elsa's knuckles even brush against it- her body achingly searching for any tactile stimulation as she recalled not only the softness of Elsa's breast against her digits, but also their rather heated session downtown days before Christmas. She was beginning to feel a familiar burning below her stomach.

In such instances that Anna _did_ pull their interlaced hands against her own rear, Elsa only really had one thought.

Anna's butt was warm.

Her heart was pounding, and although she couldn't exactly tell if the younger girl was doing this on purpose, she too was feeling its effects.

They continued through the crowd, nearly forgetting their friends in the process, and finally settled on a viewing spot a little out of the way, but still with a decent line of sight to the acorn. There was a little more space between people here, and it wasn't as loud. In fact, it almost seemed quiet, almost _private,_ at least in comparison to the claustrophobic gathering of souls everywhere else.

Along the way there, Elsa had reasoned that, given the number of times she had been graced with contact with Anna's butt (which was absolutely enticing and curvy, especially in those skinny jeans she had on, might Elsa add), there was no way it was innocent.

So, she repaid in kind, _"accidentally"_ yanking the hand in hers up against her ample chest. The contact was scant, but the affect was not. Anna had squeaked- much to Elsa's amusement- and tripped over her own two feet, tumbling headlong into a poor, innocent bystander, fumbling away with repeated apologies and astonishingly crimson cheeks.

"Oh I'm gonna get you for that!" She had teased, and Elsa found that receiving such a strong and immediate reaction from the redhead to _excite_ her. She was having some difficulty walking with a normal gait and her body was starting to almost react to the benign touch of her bra against her, uh, _attentive_ nipples.

God _damn_ if that was Anna's hand-

"Aye, wai' up, ye hooligans!" Merida's jog came to a halt, now caught up, and Elsa's cheeks turned a shade what would put red to shame. She sharply looked anywhere but the Scot.

"Just because you're a slowpoke doesn't mean we're hooligans," Anna quipped.

"Aye bu' the way ye were actin' does."

Anna decided that she'd prefer to melt into the floor now. _Yeah, that'd be great, thanks!_

"How were they acting?" Rapunzel and Flynn arrived, both wearing some rather silly New Year's glasses and face paint. Rapunzel was painted as a chameleon and Eugene was painted as- well as _himself._ It was actually a little uncanny. Anna didn't know whether to be put off or laugh, so she did both. It sounded weird. They older couple stared at the three- well, actually Kristoff, Sven, and Pascal had found their way back now, too- pretending to not know why everyone was laughing.

"You actually buy those?" Kristoff raised an eyebrow.

"She buys a pair every year, even has her collection still," Pascal chimed in, earning a death glare from his sister.

"Hey hey hey," Eugene said, his voice velvety smooth, smile charming as can be, and hand coming to rest around his brunette girlfriend's shoulders. "You really don't wanna piss of the girl with magic hair, she might cast a spell on you." He looked around the group. His teeth were like a freaking toothpaste commercial, Anna noted.

"Is tha' how sheh got ye?"

"Pshh," the oldest boy drawled, waving off the jab, "she didn't need any of that stuff to get me, I love her just the way she is," and everyone could tell he was a little drunk, but everyone could also tell that he was more than a little bit truthful.

Rapunzel blushed, placing her hand affectionately on his before flipping her hair and turning her nose up to everyone else. "You're all just jealous of our glasses."

And thusly the friends laughed and joked, picked and jabbed as the night wore on late, getting colder by the minute. Anna and Elsa found themselves relaxing against a brick wall to some unknown building off to the side of the group. It was large, the bricks were freezing, and for all they cared it could be Dr. Evil's new lair. _Good point, movie night needs to happen soon, thanks brain!_

The point was, _what_ building it was just wasn't important.

Anna chimed into the conversation frequently, slamming out one-liners like no one's business- not that all of them were good. In fact, halfway through saying about, well, _half_ of them, she realized just how lame they were, but went in with full commitment anyway. ( _"My_ hair, you should see _your_ hair, it looks like you just fell of a two-hundred foot cliff!" was not her proudest moment when bickering with Kristoff).

No matter how awful, corny, or nonsensical they were, however, Elsa always laughed.

And uh- well, Anna was still feeling that tingly sensations lower down, and seeing Elsa's adorable sniggering face glowing red (which was probably from the cold) and the way she hid her smile behind the collar of her hoodie made her want to kiss those pretty little lips off the girl.

 _THUD THUD_ went the overworked muscle in her chest as her stomach buzzed with an idea.

"It's almost midnight!" She proclaimed proudly, walking into the center of the group, swaying her hips for Elsa's enjoyment. _She'd_ better _be looking or I swear I'm gonna make her_ , and the thought of being in charge like that made Anna's hands feel clammy and her heart race. A steamy image of her shoving Elsa's flushed body down against her mattress flickered through her mind's eye. "Who's gonna give me my New Year's Kiss?" She put her hands on her hips, ignoring the few strangers passing by who gave her a funny look, and that guy's shoulder she just bumped into.

Biting her lip and raising her eyebrow, Anna scanned the friend group, _except_ Elsa. Her foot was tapping. _Stop tapping. That's not sexy_. It kept going. _Ugh!_ Anna slammed it onto the ground, her shoe clacking against the cement below and she winced because _why_ was it so hard to just be _normal_?

"Anyone?" She looked back at Elsa now, dropping a rather large hint by winking.

 _Not that she actually needs a hint since we've, ya know, sucked face once before._ But _God_ that jealously skirting around the edges of Elsa's mouth and lining of her big, beautiful eyes was so enticing- the way it swelled like a wave, ready to crash down and spill into anger, the possessiveness in her momentarily clenched fists no doubt tightening her chest because she _wanted_ Anna.

The way it all washed away when realization swept in to take its place, and the way Elsa's face turned into a plump little tomato. Not realizing she was chewing her lip, Anna mused that possessive Elsa was perhaps one of the more adorable things in life.

Even the way that Elsa grumbled and pulled- no, _yanked_ Anna aside was cute. _She's so strong_. Anna reached up to cop a feel of the older girl's arms, but was somewhat alarmed at the cut and dry vulnerability in Elsa's voice when she spoke.

"I didn't like that, Anna."

Anna took a moment, then gently wrapped her arms around Elsa's waist, letting their foreheads rest against one another. It gave her a mini heart attack when the other girl flinched at the contact at first, but quickly, she did relax and rest her head on Anna's. Elsa's forehead was slightly cool to the touch, her hair tickled, and even through her hoodie, the strawberry blond could feel the curve of her hips. She toyed with the loose fabric covering Elsa and _did_ notice she little shiver that came from the elder when she did so. _She's still worked up, too._

"So, no purposefully making you jealous, noted," Anna said, and Elsa seemed to relax a little at this. She brought her hands up along Elsa's back, breath hitching when she felt the shudder in response. "I'm sorry," she said, now bringing her hand to cup the other's cheek.

Elsa smiled and leaned into the touch. "It's okay," but it didn't exactly sound okay yet.

"You know, you're the only one I ever want to kiss me again, Elsa."

The perfect grin widened, and the elder placed a hand over Anna's, exhaling deeply as she did so. "You're the only one I ever want to kiss again," she no more than breathed. Anna traced her thumb against a tender cheek bone and she practically had the elder melting into her touch.

"I really am sorry, I- I won't do that again."

Elsa nodded.

A beat passed.

"It just kinda- um, well it kinda- sorta- a little bit- turns me on-" she let out a breathy cough-chuckle-thing. "When you- to see how much you want _me_." She didn't even realize that she was staring at the ground.

As if everything interesting she'd been imaging that night was unfolding at her toes.

Elsa gulped. Her breath was audibly shallow, the air between them halted all activity, and they might as well have been tucked away in a private hotel room in that moment. The silence stretched and made it physically difficult for the elder to talk, _that_ much was evident based on her choppy tenor. "There are other ways for me to show you that," she rasped, clenching a little.

Anna smirked, because she knew _precisely_ what Elsa was feeling right now. She, too, found it hard to stand upright. "Oh yeah?" The younger girl breathed huskily, letting the hot air ooze out of her mouth and down Elsa's ear in a cloud of condensation. "Have I been a bad girl?"

Elsa gulped, bringing her knees together, heart pounding. "Ye-yeah, you have been," she whispered.

Anna _tsk'd_ , lightly running her finger along Elsa's delicate, _sensitive_ jawline, eliciting a delightful shiver that ran from the base of Elsa's skull, deep down her spine and pooled hotly between her legs. "What'll you do, punish me? We both know who's in control," she purred, innuendo dripping off of every syllable of her low, almost gruff voice. Elsa audibly gasped.

After a few seconds of shallow, unsatisfying breaths, the elder quipped "prove it," doing her best to maintain composure.

Anna bit her lip with an impish grin. "It's almost midnight." She lightly ran her fingers down Elsa's shoulder, hidden by hoodie as it was, she could still tell it gave the girl goosebumps. She wondered what else on her body was hardening as her eyes brushed over her concealed bust. "You'll see," she whispered, close enough that they _could_ have kissed.

And she pulled away, leaving Elsa high and dry.

"Git a room!" Merida chastised.

It just earned a cute little laugh from Anna, who simply winked at Elsa before turning away.

LINE BREAK LINE BREAK LINE BREAK

" _ **Five**_ _!"_ The crowd chanted in unison.

Anna's eyes lit up.

" _ **Four**_ _!"_

Elsa stepped forward, grabbing her hand.

" _ **Three**_ _!"_

This earned a grin from the other girl.

" _ **Two**_ _!"_

Elsa turned her attention to Anna.

" _ **One**_ _!"_

Their eyes met.

" _ **Happy New Year**_ _!_ "

The acorn dropped. Anna crashed their lips together, leaving only a fraction of a second for the blonde to register the hungry look behind her darkened eyes, reflecting the deep ocean, rich pools of desire.

But now they were pressed together, mouth to mouth, body to body, Anna's hot lips kneading against Elsa's own. She was sure her mouth was going to bruise, but she didn't care. She let the fire tingling her lips course through her chest and turn in her stomach. The full body contact exhilarated every already excited nerve in her body and the world was lost to her.

Curious hands ran themselves down the lengths of her lats, settling on Elsa's dainty love handles. Anna's fingertips felt _hot_ against the small of Elsa's back, and the elder opened her mouth, allowing a needy tongue to clash with hers roughly. Sloppy was the word that came to mind. Sloppy, but _incredible._

And honestly, Elsa didn't know where the time went. One moment, she was pressed against a cold brick wall, the next she was being shoved into her own bed.

She vaguely remembered Anna explaining that Kai would be up watching the Twighlight Zone, but it all seemed kind of fuzzy and she wasn't sure that it wasn't a hallucination.

Either way, they burst through Elsa's room door, the blonde retreating to her companion's libidinous march forward. The sound of her door slamming shut ripped through the steamy air as they broke for a breath, Elsa unsure that she'd ever catch hers. She was sweating, heart racing.

They were lit solely by the moon's grace, the heavy glow of night's shadow shrouding much around them, but Elsa felt she could practically see good as day. The absolutely beautiful- no, _divine_ one before her, nibbling her lip, and even in the dark Elsa could see her hearty serving of freckles. Anna's eyes were dark, stray strands of hair simmered against her glistening forehead, her breaths ragged and low. That look. _God_ that look in her eye, the glint, the almost _animalistic_ lust made Elsa's head spin just as Anna gave her a hefty shove backwards.

She barely noticed the wind get knocked out of her when she toppled onto the mattress, back automatically arching whilst the redhead crawled above her, now straddling her and leaning close. There chests brushed together through rather infuriating coats, and Elsa felt a shockwave run down the length of her spine, bucking her hips forward and halting her breath. She could _feel_ the warmth emanating from Anna's core; her own, now fiery with desire, _so close to Anna's._

"Off," Anna commanded, nodding her head.

Elsa complied, tearing the hoodie from her body, and in the short span of time that it blinded her, the beautiful girl atop her had done the same. Anna wore a simple tank-top, but the color didn't exactly matter. Green. Probably green. _Or blue._ Her eyes traced the defined curve of freckled shoulders and examined the musculature of familiar arms. Elsa felt her mouth go a little dry as she vicariously fed on the unadulterated beauty atop her. They weren't even stripped down- they were still _fully_ clothed and Elsa already felt this hot. When Anna bent down, however, Elsa caught an eyeful of a whole lot of breasts and she choked.

Anna's bra was blue.

Time seemed to slow down as Anna leaned in close. _So_ close that when she whispered, their lips brushed together. Her voice was low, husky, a little rough and _sensual_. "Show me how much you want me." Her breath caught the nape of the elder's neck as it flowed down, and Elsa shuddered as goosebumps enticed her upper chest.

Elsa raised a trembling hand, hovering, unsure. Her body ached, ached for- for contact- to touch- _something_. Ached for _Anna._ She barely registered how tense her back and core were. "I- I don't-" she blushed, though was pretty sure that at this point her color couldn't change much more, "how- know- don't know how," she rasped.

Anna smirked, and whispered "just touch me."

Elsa's breath hitched, and she placed her hands on Anna's rear- the very thing that had been used to tease her _all_ night. Even through jeans she could tell how flawlessly smooth and satiny the skin would be to caress. She brought her fingertips lightly down the curve of Anna's backside, giving it a light, testing squeeze.

Anna gasped and bucked her hips forward. "Oh- yes- Elsa, just like _that_."

"Just- ah-" Anna had kissed Elsa's ear, it tingled a _lot_ \- "any- anywhere?"

Grinning, and speaking against the base of Elsa's ear, the girl confirmed "anywhere." She sat more upright, scratching lightly along the contour of the older girl's deltoid and down her defined biceps, and Elsa shivered.

"Ah- ye- yes, like that," came a breathy, gasped reply from Anna as Elsa's fingers made gentle contact with the flesh of her abdomen. Elsa could feel Anna shake beneath her touch.

It made her squirm in her spot.

Getting braver, Elsa rubbed her hands along the younger's currently arched spine, reveling in the silky-smooth flesh below and gasping when she crossed Anna's bra strap. She pressed her nails in and raked them back down, all the way to Anna's beltline and onto her backside. "Ahh- Elsa that feels- feels so- _ah_ " Anna shivered and moaned in delight, bucking and arching hard enough to bring their bodies flush together as she fought for words.

"Ah- yes, Elsa," Anna managed through shallow breaths when slightly cold hands returned to her naval. It almost stung, but in a good way! "Hi-higher, higher," so the hands caressed upwards, along her stomach, teasing her ribcage. "Keep- please keep going."

And Elsa's heart jumped, her breath halting entirely when she felt the fabric of Anna's bra at her _very_ perceptive fingertips. Anna shuddered, Elsa felt her skin standing on end and was acutely aware of the girl adjusting a little on top of her. "Play with them," she practically begged.

So Elsa did.

Faintly at first. Her touch to Anna's bra was shy. _Very_ shy. But when the younger arched her back and gasped a raspy "more," Elsa was emboldened.

Anna's breasts were genuinely a perfect handful. Perky. And even through her underwear, Elsa could discern- much to her own arousal- that they were illustriously supple. As she kneaded them (similar to how she'd play with her own, but it was a little more… uh, manageable), Anna so began to gently rock back and forth and threw her head back, moaning in pleasure. " _God_ that-ha-hat feels so goo-hood, Elsa."

And Elsa could feel through Anna's remaining covering that her nipples were hardened, and that knowledge only served to send a jolt of fire-electricity-pleasure coursing through her body, scorching her blood from her hands to her core, rippling through her spine and culminating into a sensual groan splitting the lascivious air. It vibrated the mattress below.

"You like them?" Anna husked breathlessly; her hot core coming _so close_ to Elsa's.

"Ungh-uh-huh," the elder felt herself groan, but her eyes were shut.

"Play with my nipples," came the carnal request- no, _demand_. Elsa felt like she was going to explode _in the best way_. And Anna cried out a loud, high tenor, _electrifying_ "ahhng-hah- _yes_ , Elsa!" As she continued grinding her now more-than-damp center on Elsa's hips, and the blonde could feel her own wetness slicking her thighs.

Then, she was pinned. Anna was _God dammed_ strong. And it was incredible. "My turn to touch you," came the erotic groan in Elsa's now tingling ear, and she shuddered and all she could do was nod vigorously because what the _Hell_ was anything else, anyway?

"Ah-Ahn-Anna," the pinned girl tried for between shallow breaths as warm fingers explored the receptive skin of her midriff, sending goosebumps _all_ over her body.

And Elsa's eyes were slammed shut, and Anna was still rocking on top of her and talking, groaning, saying _something,_ and Elsa was still writhing on the soft sheets, and _Holy_ that kiss to the neck felt _amazing_. She gasped, arching her back, she smelled Anna's hair- faintly strawberry- and felt it tickle her now tingling and hot face, and she heard Anna whisper her name and nibble the sensitive nape of her neck and those hands were rising higher and "Ah! Ya-yes, Ah-Anna!"

"You like that, Elsa?" She only whispered, her breath was hot and spilled all over Elsa's clavicle and ear and caught her breath.

She nearly _screamed,_ eyes rolling up in pleasure as the girl began to work Elsa's ample breasts- _oh my_ that's so much better than when Elsa did that alone! Anna smirked at this, but Elsa didn't know because the hands were kneading her mounds and her hips were pressing ferociously upwards- into Anna's, which were all but steaming now- as she clasped the sheets for dear life because- and pardon her French, but- _FUCK_ wasn't this how she was supposed to feel when being touched _down there_!?

Apparently not, because "Ahh- _ANNAHAA_ -" she howled when the girl pinched her erect and heightened nipples. Her chest was clenching. Her back was arching. Every muscle was clamped now, with bolts of electric pleasure tearing _viciously_ through just about every nerve in her body. " _GOD Anna,_ " she rasped as strongly as she could, still convulsing.

Elsa heaved for breath, sweat dribbling down her forehead and sides. It tickled. She rode out her high, her body acutely aware of _everything_ touching it.

Anna's hands were gone. That was probably for the blonde's own good at this point. Her skin felt like it was on fire. "Did you- did you just…?"

Blushing deeply, the elder turned away in a vain attempt to conceal it. "S-sorry," she murmured, bringing her hands to hug around her waist. "I- I…" She tried to find her words. Her nearly white hair was loosened from its braid, cascading down her pillow and body in shimmering tresses, outfitting her with a heavenly glow. Her chest was still rising heavily, her breath still audible. Somehow, her freckles seemed more prominent in that moment. Maybe Anna's eyes were dilating to ingest as much of the divine beauty below her as possible, but in any case, it only served to make Elsa look- well she looked- and then she- she- she _pouted_! But, like, and an _embarrassed_ pout, which Anna didn't even know was a thing!

No. _nononono_. Nope. Nuh-uh. That's not fair. It's not _fair._ Elsa is _not_ allowed to switch from, illustrious, hot, mind-bendingly _sexy_ right back to cute, adorable, bashful, shy, and every other freaking adjective in between!

It's just not fair!

But here she was, showing off her skills, looking _anywhere_ but Anna with the most adorable tomato face, chewing her lip and just looking so _ah! Cute!_ Anna nearly swooned!

Anna giggled, biting her own lip for good measure- not consciously, but at least it did serve to stifle her stupidly wide grin- and laid herself down upon Elsa. Clothed as they were still, the full body contact elicited a less than innocent response from the younger girl and she couldn't help but do this probably _not_ smooth purr-shudder-hybrid thing. "Sorry for what, silly?"

"I- um-" and this time Anna could _feel_ the flush in the older's body. Being on top of her and whatnot. "For-"

"For your own pleasure? Oh puh-lease, Elsa." Anna looked up and winked. "It was _my_ pleasure." She ran her finger through some stray blonde hairs idly and shrugged her shoulders. "And besides, that's- um- that's kinda _super_ hot."

A pause, then a tentative "but you- you didn't," and the tiny voice trailed off.

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Are you ready for that?"

Elsa turned away, bringing her demure shoulders to her ears and allowing her eyes to fall in what almost looked like shame. After all, she was very new at all this. She'd never even _kissed_ anyone before Anna, let alone… _this._ Her only experience was the admittedly limited types of exploration she'd done on herself. "I- I don't- I guess I could-"

"Shh," the younger cut her off by cupping her cheek gently, redirecting her gaze to meet her eyes. In as soft-yet-serious of a tone as she could muster, she assured "we don't have to rush things, Elsa." She kissed her long and soft and was pretty sure she could feel Elsa's heart pounding through her now tepid lips. The elder cooed into the kiss. They broke away, and Anna continued, now running her thumb along a soft cheekbone, which the blonde leaned into. "We go at your pace. When you're ready, I'm ready. Okay?"

Elsa smiled, and it looked like she could cry. She nodded once. "Okay."

"Until then," Anna teased, "thinking about tonight will do nicely."

"Anna," Elsa's shocked voice chastised, slapping her lightly on the shoulder.

With a shrug, the younger quipped "What? A girl's got needs, ya know."

Elsa laughed quite a bit at this, clearly feeling more at ease now. Probably the full body contact _also_ helped with that. But don't think that Anna didn't notice the other girl's body still moving a little in the faded ring of her afterglow. Because she did.

They eventually said their drawn-out goodnights. It was either really late or really early, depending on how you look at it. And Anna, ever the optimist, decided that it didn't matter, because either way it was flat out _dark_ outside. They shared a not so chaste kiss as Elsa saw her crush-friend- _aw, screw it,_ she thought; saw her _girlfriend_ out. They were pretty impressed with themselves, the kiss only lasted like ten minutes.

Anyway, Anna clambered into her bed, replaying the delightful-in-so-many-ways night in her head over and over, and every time it brought a smile to her face. She could still faintly smell traces of lavender and a little bit of whatever that distinct _Elsa_ scent was, but it filled her nose with elation and she loved every bit of it. And the melodic remnants of Elsa's voice purred through her ears as the room became blurry, and her mind began to wander.

The last thing to cross her mind before succumbing to an absolutely serene night (or morning, rather) of sleep was some wonderful union of two equally enigmatic concepts, not logically making sense yet, but just a notion. Like a dream she could touch but not quite hold.

Fuzzy.

The vague notions of _Elsa_ and _love._

 _Forever_ is what she decided to name the feelings that those thoughts made her feel.

* * *

 _A/N: Attention please, Attention please._

 _This is your captain speaking. Please buckle your seat belts, we are expecting turbulence ahead._

 _Feedback, comments, constructive criticism very much appreciated. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you :)_


	20. Distance, not Time

_A/N: You know the problem with trying to make each chapter better than the last, every time? You put yourself under a lot of stress._

 _I had to take a step back for a few days haha._

 _Anyway, I'm back! And I am quite happy with this chapter, and I thank you so much for your readership! Please enjoy :)_

* * *

 _Ding!_

Elsa looked at her phone. She smiled. _That's funny,_ she mused, _I was just about to text her._ Olaf seemed to notice his mama's eagerness because his head perked up from his pot perched right next to her on the bed. He was starting to shed, so the air around her looked… crowded. Tuffs of white fur jumped from his back, shining in the light and floating lazily around in the mild draft of the room. No matter, this just meant Elsa would need to clean more often.

Another _ding._

She turned her attention to the texts from Anna.

" _And the winner of the Most Criminally Cute Contest is… dun dun dun! YOU!"_

Attached was- It was- _wha-_

A picture.

Of her.

Eating a pretzel.

A salted pretzel.

She was only slightly mortified.

She looked absolutely un-becoming in the photo. Mouth agape, a stupid grin on her face as she gracelessly managed the snack into her watering maw. But that was beside the point! Her head spun with so many questions! Like: _why? What? When?_ Well, okay, stupid question, she knew when. _But- but-_

" _Anna,_ " she typed, thumbs feeling a little clutzy in the midst of her bewilderment. _"How did you get that photo?"_ She sent it. Then, quickly added another, eyebrows furrowing with realization. Anna was in the picture, too. _"I was with you every minute on New Year's. Literally. Every. Minute."_ Send.

" _I can't reveal my sources"_ was followed with a coy winky face emoji, and although Elsa was a little jarred from receiving a stalker photo of herself, she found it hard to suppress a giggle. Which she did by chewing her lip and squeaking a little, by the way.

" _It was Rapunzel, wasn't it?"_

" _I'll never tell!"_

Elsa laughed aloud at this; her cheeks warmed. " _You are genuinely the creepiest person ever."_

There was a short pause in the conversation, then a blip notification. Elsa's heart skipped a beat at Anna's reply, having to blink and re-read it several times. Her tummy felt funny, and it wouldn't stop wiggling. But, like, in a good way. _"Only for you."_ That's not the part that made Elsa feel all woozy. What _did_ do that, however, was the big, red heart that followed the text.

Cheeks probably akin to said emoticon, the platinum blonde clutched the phone tightly to her chest, as if letting it go would pop the heart. Olaf meowed from his spot on her luxuriously cushioned, fluffy mattress, and Elsa likened the feeling in her heart to the purring coming from the cat. She bit her lip, sticking her tongue out a little bit at the corner. _"I suppose I'll take what I can get."_ Send.

Then she paused, staring blankly at the screen.

Her thumb came to the keyboard, then retracted. Again, it jolted forward only to cower away. Finally, she stole herself and, closing her eyes and squeaking a little as she did so, pressed on the kissy face emoji- the one blowing the heart out of its mouth- and sent that as well.

She only had a moment to wonder why, even though they'd kissed several times- heck, Anna had, well she'd _pleasured_ Elsa, albeit all by stimulation above the waist- why the kissy face via _text_ of all things might be overstepping.

Her worrying was rudely interrupted by another incoming message from Anna. Elsa giggled and felt warmth spread from her ears to the tip of her nose as she examined the ten- yeah probably ten- kissy faces that Anna had sent back.

"Elsa!" her father's voice pulled her attention, muffled from the long journey up stairs and through her door. She made her way downstairs, still vibrating a little bit with the glowing buzz spawned of Anna's affectionate texts.

"Yes?"

Agnarr was flipping through a stack of mail, and the girl noted, much to her amusement, that he was simply tossing out the bills. "You've got mail," he said, plucking one from the bottom of the stack.

"Snail mail?" She furrowed her brow. "Do they know what year it is?"

"Am I supposed to know what that means?"

Elsa laughed. "I suppose not. I'm not sure that I actually do-" but then, she looked at the envelope. Her eyes widened with surprise, having to blink and re-read the sender several times. And her dad was smirking. Stop smirking like that! It's creepy! "From…"

"Corona."

"But-" she peered up at him, tapping her hand on her envelope with light clicks. It seemed to calm her sundry nerves. "How- this- I mean that's quick, don't you think? Shouldn't it take a little longer?" And while she likely knew the answer to her own question, she felt the need to verbalize it, no matter how foreign her own voice sounded. Because, wouldn't it be nice to shirk this? At least for a little?

With a playful raise of the eyebrow, her father pointed out "well, you know rolling acceptance. Hearing back this early is either really bad or _really_ good."

She bit her lip. "You're not helping."

He shrugged, placing a strong hand on her lithe shoulder. "I imagine it's good news."

A grin crept its way onto her lips, faint dimples forming in her cheeks. Her hands, of their own accord, creased and uncreased one corner of the envelope now, ruining its perfect presentation, if only slightly. _Corona University,_ she thought, perhaps out loud. She felt a familiar sensation of butterflies in her stomach, lightly pushing her heart to go faster. She took a breath and made to open her mail, noticing now that her hands were shaking.

"I…" her widened eyes stared at the first line of the letter, reading it over and over again. For clarity purposes. To make sure her quite active imagination wasn't interfering. "I- I got in! Dad! I got in!" She nearly squealed, much like she imagined Anna would do. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she looked at her elder, face alight with the most gorgeous smile, brightness befalling her grinning eyes and shoulders dancing to her ears. The room felt a little spinny. "I'm in! I can't believe it! I- I made it!"

"Congratulations, kiddo," Agnarr patted her on the back.

Olaf came down to see what all the commotion was. Elsa's heartbeat was _loud_. It felt like it was shaking the room. Like her ears would pop. Maybe they already had, because she was having a hard time hearing much of anything else. She smiled and bit her lip. "I- I need to call Anna!"

LINE BREAK LINE BREAK

"So…" Anna said, voice hushed and slightly obscured by the movie in the background. Really, the only reason that Elsa heard it was because a warm, freckled cheek was resting peacefully on her chest: Anna's spot. The elder hummed in acknowledgement, peering down at two large eyes. The room was dark, everyone else was watching the film intently and munching on something or other, while the two young women were snuggled together on _their_ place on Anna's couch.

Elsa had taken plenty of time in the past to marvel at the depth of beauty maintained within Anna's eyes. The subtle flakes of cobalt blue, interspersed with hundreds of shades and varieties of greens, from aquamarine to forest green, all nestled sweetly in the undulating texture of her irises. The tiny strips of hazel, expanding like pedals of a flower from her pupil, lost to the rich swath of colors that made the cutie's eyes so… stunning. All this, the impossible complexity of the intermingling colors which was rivaled in intricacy only by perhaps the crystalline structure of snowflakes, blended together to make that familiar, beatific teal that everyone knew and loved.

But not everyone had the pleasure of peering so deeply into those eyes, to memorize every little detail that made them _them_ , like Elsa had.

That's probably why Elsa noticed the subtle hesitation so easily. She tensed, her hand halting its idle tracing of the contour of Anna's shoulder, and she knew Anna could feel that she went stiff, because she bit her lip.

"How far away is it?" the younger asked, her words less spoken and more murmured, no more than a vibration in the blonde's chest.

But she felt them. Oh, she _felt_ them, alright. "Is what?" she questioned, very aware that she was side-stepping the question that Anna _wanted_ to ask.

Anna sighed, just barely. Her eyes peered down from Elsa's and she sat up a little, removing the warmth of her head. Immediately, the elder felt the loss. In the same beat, she felt Anna's thumb start tracing over her knuckles. Not softly, not peacefully, and it wasn't soothing. Nervously. Her movements were rough, and her grip was tightening. "You know," their eyes met again. "Corona."

In the background, Rapunzel glanced over with concern, but neither Elsa nor Anna noticed.

"Anna, I…" It was Elsa's turn to look away. She slumped her head to examine their interlaced fingers. She'd never exactly minded the cold, but this- this cold throbbing of her heart coupled with the anxious _churning_ of her stomach was making her feel almost _nauseas._ Her mind flickered back to her rumination of the subject before Christmas. _When I leave for college, I will hurt Anna._ It echoed in her mind, and never felt any better. Her palm was clammy, and she could tell Anna's was, too. The connection shared between their hands felt unsettlingly fragile. Like a snowflake.

Her revelation made her feel rather… hopeless. Was that the word she was looking for? Elsa wasn't sure. _Fearful?_ She tightened her grip on Anna's hand, as if to send a silent message. The younger responded in kind by bringing her free hand to sooth small circles on her girlfriend's leg. The warmth was back, a little, but the wedge had been rested between them.

Elsa spoke again, her voice hoarse, and still unable to meet Anna's gaze, for she feared what she might uncover. "I don't really want to talk about it right now."

Silence befell them then, and Elsa wished, she _longed_ to know what the other was thinking. But she was yet to cowardly to meet whatever gaze was haunting her. She could feel it, burning on the side of her head. "That far, huh?" Came the response, and the dry way it was chuckled sent an icy shiver down the elder's spine.

"Anna please," she sniffled, her breath unsteady and eyes beginning to sting. She closed her them then, taking a long, rather unsatisfying exhale. She, mostly by reflex, withdrew her hands to clutch the end of her braid. As if it was the light in her life, _not_ the girl sitting inches from her.

What a damn mistake that was.

Speaking of, those teal eyes Elsa was describing in such detail earlier? Well, they instantly flickered down to where their fingers used to be tangled together, only to fall. In fact, Anna's entire body seemed to deflate.

Elsa winced, reaching her hand out as if to remedy the severed connection, but her hand hovered, shaking mildly, dumbly hesitating. Her heart clenched, and she put her hand down. Something she quickly grew to regret. Anna's own hands were now folded in her lap. Her eyes were shining and jaw trembling, her body turned slightly to face the blonde. _God_ the pregnant silence between them was deafening.

"I'm- I- I can't- not here," Elsa breathed, squeezing her eyes shut so tightly that she saw stars behind her lids.

"Right," Anna said through a sniffle, sitting up completely and leaving Elsa with a cold, harsh loneliness befitting of the dark room around her but antithetical to the upbeat movie. "Later. We'll talk about it later." Her voice was shaking, almost as much as Elsa's upper lip. It sounded so… _hopeless._

Elsa looked away.

Her heart sank when the cushion she occupied rose a couple inches. Anna had silently excused herself. Distanced herself from the conversation, much like the other had done. Albeit physically, rather than emotionally.

How long she was gone didn't really matter all that much. It gave Elsa plenty of time to ruminate, in any case. To wish she had the words that Anna wanted to hear.

But she didn't.

And when Anna came back, she sat down just a little farther from Elsa. She didn't lean on her. She sat upright. Alone.

Leaving Elsa alone.

 _Distance,_ the blonde mulled the word about in her head, tossing it about like a ball, but it felt about as pleasant as tossing a wet rag. Physically, she was not far from Anna right now, but emotionally? Well, that's the stressful part, isn't it? She had _no idea_ how far they were apart. It felt like miles, but could it have been just around the corner? Were they just missing each other? A step only a few words could make? Or was there a deeper problem?

Really, Elsa suddenly realized, _that_ was the frightening part. The unknown, the question Anna had really been asking earlier. _What_ are _we going to do when it's time for college?_

How would physical distance affect them, their relationship? Would it matter about as much as it mattered right then, in that moment, functionally irrelevant?

Or would it be everything?

She kept coming back to the one thing she knew for sure. _I_ will _hurt Anna when I leave for college._

So then, she determined the next logical question. _How can I minimize that hurt for Anna?_ Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed deeply. Her stomach dropped farther, if at all possible. She had a lot to unpack.

Kristoff and Rapunzel shared a look.

LINE BREAK LINE BREAK LINE BREAK

Anna understood. She really did. It was okay! She was fine.

For real.

Fine.

Honestly, movie night while all their friends were over wasn't really the time or place to bring that up anyway. _It was stupid and selfish_ , she'd decided while perched next to a rather conflicted seeming Elsa.

So _really_ , it was fine. She'd needed some time to compose herself, hence excusing herself to the rest room, but she could wait. She could wait for a better time for them to talk. For Elsa to be ready. Sure, Anna was scared. That was putting it lightly. She was terrified. She _needed_ to talk about it.

But she could wait a little while, she could accommodate Elsa.

That's what relationships were, right?

Compromise.

She just didn't expect to be shut out for nearly _two months._


End file.
